at the washington restaurant where scott works, a customer recently informed one of his coworkers that when she was a waitress back in the day, tips were regarded as a luxury (a sentiment that’s been echoed by many commenters on this site).
thrilled as she was by this little history lesson, scott’s coworker decided a little present-day tutorial was only fair. says scott: “she retrieved her most recent paycheck (zero dollars and zero cents…in d.c., servers make $2.77 an hour, which all goes to taxes), wrote a little note, and dropped it on the table after they had paid their check.”
related: this is why your server is cranky
279 responses so far ↓
#1
mamason
Come on! Next thing you know she’ll be claiming that food is a luxury. Or a home. Or air… luxuries all!
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:13 pm rating: +3
#2
mamason
Food and beverage workers motto-
Work harder and take less pay!
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:15 pm rating: +3
#3
anglophile
But did they leave a tip?
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:18 pm rating: +3
#4
Karen
So, if she left her little note on the table after the guest paid (and I presume left), who did she leave the note for ?
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:18 pm rating: +3
#5
Maddy
Hmm, a sense of humour always helps.
Cheers
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:19 pm rating: +4
#6
Canthz_B
If the customer had to mention to the server that a tip is an extra on their bill (a luxury), perhaps that was a hint asking for better service. Dropping your pity party in some one’s lap is unlikely to garner sympathy. Just annoyance. Way to cut off nose and spite face!
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:26 pm rating: +4
#7
Canthz_B
Who, for God’s sakes, is in a 100% tax bracket?
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:28 pm rating: +6
#8
Canthz_B
“It’s deja vous all over again!”
—Yogi Berra
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:36 pm rating: +1
#9
UK Girl
Coming from the UK I find the whole idea of tips paying wages outrageous.
there i no way I would pay a tip unless the service was exceptional.
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:37 pm rating: 0
#10
bamBAM!
Don’t they mean “Just so you know a tip is a ¡LUJO!”?
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:37 pm rating: +2
#11
bamBAM!
I thought since they were sticking to the español theme with the “¡”…
I swear to God if anyone asks me how to make the special characters I’m gonna kick their ass.
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:40 pm rating: 0
#12
amy d
Ask John Bobbit if a tip is a luxury.
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:52 pm rating: +10
#13
secondsout
Clearly, this annoying customer never waited tables for a living. Anyone who has ever relied on tips, and been paid less than minimum wage because you were expected to make it up knows better. As a closing waiter, I used to get paid less than min. wage, even though some of my hours were closing the store when tipping customers were all gone.
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:56 pm rating: +4
#14
lou dobbs
This is clearly an example of an illegal alien working as a server who does not know that wages are not taxed at 100%.
This is what corporate greed hath wrought.
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:57 pm rating: +1
#15
secondsout
Informing wait staff that they have to kiss your ass for a tip is the quickest way to getting spit in your food.
Jan 24, 2008 at 6:57 pm rating: +8
#16
secondsout
Bullshit like this is what reminded me that going to college was a fantastic idea. Get a real job and not have to put up with assholes like this for a tip.
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:00 pm rating: +1
#17
Writerrejected
Shouldn’t her note with the Spanish punctuation read: “Just so you know: A Tip isn’t a Luxury”? Just wondering.
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:39 pm rating: +1
#18
Grimfool_Reluctant
Tipping is a cultural norm; like all cultural norms, it differs from place and place AND those differences should be respected while in those places.
Servers work hard and good service is an art form. Better servers generally make better wages, and that’s the same general rule that is generally followed in most occupations (General Lee speaking, that is).
So it looks like I’m Team Tip and Team Server.
But, “just so you know” — servers are not slaves. They’re not born into the caste of servers. If they sit around and bitch about their pay, their tips, or their customers, they should either find a different career, a different workplace, or resign themselves to being grumpy bitching malcontents (who generally get smaller tips).
And just so you know — maybe a tip is not a luxury, but in most cases, it IS a choice. It’s my choice, just like it’s my choice whether to eat out or stay home, or go to your restaurant or to your competition. Good service is your JOB. It’s what you’re SUPPOSED to DO.
By the way, I now live in Korea, where there is no tipping, the servers are paid miniscule wages, and the overall service is fucking delicious.
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:40 pm rating: +7
#19
Dances With Books
I think secondsout’s #15 gets it well: no faster way to piss off your waitress and get your food messed with somehow than to alienate the waitress. The whole system of paying below min. and claiming you make it on tips does stink (I know. I was a waiter many moons ago). Maybe that is why I tend to try to be generous when I tip. Of course, I do assume good service. The one or two who have been lousy (rare, but happens), get little from me. But this is rare. And don’t get me started on the whole having to pool the tips scheme.
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:41 pm rating: +3
#20
Team Cassandra
Is that even legal? Basically, they don’t get paid???
WTF???
ANYWAY.
TIPS
To Insure Prompt Service.
Was first established in Tea Gardens in England somewhere at some time (Tea Gardens were the indirect result of some Duchess’ cool idea that if you get sleepy in the afternoon, you should eat something) because if your service was slow your tea was cold.
A metal box was placed in the middle of the table and you were expected to make it rattle if you wanted warm tea.
PS. Thank God SOMETHING came of that project *my daughter* did last year!
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:44 pm rating: 0
#21
bitchphd
It’s simple. If you’re offended by the idea that a tip is part of the cost of dining out, then don’t dine out.
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:49 pm rating: +7
#22
Karen
Oh, I see it coming. Can we just copy & paste the 467 posts from “this is why your server is cranky” and call it quits here ?
just sayin’
New Note ?
Jan 24, 2008 at 7:58 pm rating: +5
#23
Ryan
I think it is ridiculous that these restaurants are somehow allowed to break the law and pay less than minimum wage. That problem needs correcting. A really disagree with mandatory gratuities, an ironic sentiment considering the meaning of gratuity.
In the UK, everyone has to be paid a minimum of £5.52/$10.90 per hour, and of course in many places, you give tips if you feel the service deserved it.
I think the people who claim that they wouldn’t earn enough to live, if they weren’t tipped a lot, are working in the wrong place – it is the responsibility of the employer to pay their staff, not the customers…
Basically, there is something seriously wrong with a business which doesn’t earn enough from sales to cover all expenses, including wages for staff – or is it just exploiting the cultural norm of tipping, to screw the staff out of a decent wage?
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:01 pm rating: +3
#24
rajani
i work in retail. i am expected to wait on customers hand and foot, follow them around gathering items, run back and forth to get different sizes, etc. i have to be there for several clients at the same time. i have to remember sizes, colours, outfits, scents. on many occasions rich customers basically expect me to be their personal assistants for entire afternoons. i have never been offered a tip, and i have never complained. why? because i get wages to be there and do that. because it is a high end store, i get a whopping twenty-five cents above minimum wage , and i guarantee i’m running around on my feet as much as if not more than a waiter.
so please, stfu
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:01 pm rating: +1
#25
Cheap
Well dont blame the customer, blame the damn cheap ass that owns the restaurant and insist in not paying his waitress a decent wage, he can not expect the customer to pay the servers completely, that is just moronic.
and NO I pay the price on the menu, thats IT I work just as hard for my money and I am not paying any extra as a tip or anything else, I suggest the restaurants raise their prices to cover a decent pay to the workers.
There is no rhyme or reason in the fact that a server can serve 3-4 tables in an hour and get tip from all of them which lands then at at least $20 hourly wage, I dont know anywhere else they earn that much.
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:03 pm rating: 0
#26
hibousoir
As a former waitress and bartender, it’s been my experience that there are certainly bad servers, but they are typically outnumbered by bad, BAD customers–people who make ridiculous and endless demands, expect you to bow and scrape for them and then get pissed off if you have enough dignity to balk at their behavior. Honestly, some people are just impossible to please–usually people like this customer. It’s just too bad the waitress didn’t make her paycheck comment more clear and biting. Having dealt with many customers like the one in this example, I bet she probably turned around and complained to the manager and got the waitress in trouble anyway.
All reasons why I would *consider* tending bar again if I had to, but would never, EVER wait tables again. People are assholes and the money isn’t worth the stress.
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:26 pm rating: +3
#27
Alix
Anyone who makes 2.77 an hour in this day and age is understandably angry. Maybe back when grandma was a waittress, the hourly rate a waitress was paid was livable. Given that it is not that way now, until wait staff gets paid a livable wage, tip them for chrissake!
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:27 pm rating: +1
#28
analyst
I was a server for a few years during college, and my husband is a restaurant owner/manager in the upscale casual sector. I can tell you that not every employee performs at 100% out of a sense of duty or loyalty to the business, and that is why tips are great (if all involved are on the same page about them).
Tips are performance-based pay, so the server’s motivation to give good service is high. I liken the US tip system to a good, free-market economy. Team Keep Socialism Out of Our Restaurants!
Jan 24, 2008 at 8:45 pm rating: 0
#29
KoT
When I was in college, I was both a server & bartender. I would like to think I provided excellent service … and very much appreciated a nice tip. However, there were days that I couldn’t give a shit about anyone and my tips were representative of that attitude. The lady is right! Tips are a luxury! Do a good job and you’ll be rewarded! My pet peeve, though, is going to get a cup of coffee and a can stares at me to tip, go to McDonald’s and I’m supposed to tip, go to the bookstore and I’m supposed to tip, go to get my oil changed and I’m supposed to tip. Give me a break. The federal government subsidizes … I don’t!
Jan 24, 2008 at 9:39 pm rating: +2
#30
j
Oh boo hoo. Not my fault her job sucks. Get a better job.
Jan 24, 2008 at 10:44 pm rating: +1
#31
bellabeastie
Tips are not a “luxury”. They are a necessity. For anyone who has worked in the service industry, (and I was 15 yrs. in the beauty industry) I will tell you that is what would break or make my monthly income). Period. I agree that your server should be rewarded with a gratuity reflecting the service recieved. However, 15 – 20 percent is considered standard in the U.S. Anything less is going to be reflected in the the “service” received upon your next visit. Service Professionals have looong memories. We remember who treated us well, and who dissed us. Consumer beware. It doesn’t matter if it’s a restaurant or a beauty salon…. Whe Know Who You Are.
Jan 25, 2008 at 12:38 am rating: +2
#32
Glad to be Canadian
If the waitstaff are so pissed off about being paid so little, why don’t they just leave…? There comes a point where they’re just choosing to be victims of the horrible government. Plus, there’s no actual law saying that you have to pay income taxes. If their money is getting taken away, take it to court (in the states, anyway).
Jan 25, 2008 at 1:13 am rating: 0
#33
justhaveto
face facts. as a server you are the slave to four masters. your owner your manager your chef and oh yes your customer.
if you can’t cut the mustard find a new job. if you can’t serve four masters at once your in the wrong place.
Jan 25, 2008 at 1:34 am rating: 0
#34
Carlina
That’s like saying, “Just so you know, underwear iz a ~luxury~!!1″
Jan 25, 2008 at 3:03 am rating: +1
#35
Ashes
If you don’t like the wages GET A NEW JOB!! If you want a tip try being nice, pleasant, and helpful. You shouldn’t expect a tip just cause you walked the plate from the kitchen to my table.
Jan 25, 2008 at 4:49 am rating: +1
#36
babybat
Do you never stop and think that maybe the US system of making people dependent on tips is, well, wrong? I’m in the UK, and I usually tip (around 10% in a full-service or rounding up a few £ if it’s more casual) unless it’s already included on the bill, but I would never *dream* of tipping 20 percent! If you’re used to factoring in that cost into eating out, why not just pay staff a higher minimum wage? I really don’t think the service would suffer, and you’d get fewer angry waitstaff with zero-sum payslips… But fwiw, I’d always follow the tipping norms if I were in another country, crazy though they may seem to me – only polite to do as the locals do!
Jan 25, 2008 at 5:02 am rating: +2
#37
Lizzie
Anyone who works for $0 an hour is an idiot.
In England I tip if the service is good and don’t tip if the service is bad. But of course our waitresses get paid £6 an hour so they don’t starve if they give bad service.
Jan 25, 2008 at 7:14 am rating: 0
#38
Khak
Sure seems like all the server-bashers ’round here assume every customer is a rational person. I’ve been in the service industry for years, started in a hole-in-the-wall dive bar, making no money, but most recently I worked in a 5-star joint where an average 2 person table tab was $200, I’ve always generally made excellent tips, because I give excellent service.
But the fact is that while most customers are pleasant to interact with, not all customers are rational. Some are rude, bitter, and downright cruel. Why should I quit my job, as some have suggested, simply because 1 out of every 20 customers is a prick? “Gee, if you don’t like your job AT ALL TIMES NO MATTER WHAT you should just quit, you big whiner” Just because a server may complain about the worst customers does not mean we hate our jobs.
1 story -
Once a customer wearing a watch that cost far more than my car berated me for bringing butter that was too SOFT. “What kind of idiot brings butter like this!” she screeched. The only other butter was still in the cooler, and very hard. I brought her some. “What is wrong with you? This butter won’t spread at all!” Finally I had the prep guy bring out a selection of butters, in varying degrees of softness. That, she found insulting, and complained to my manager, and tried to get him to not only comp her meal, but to take the cost of it out of my PAY to “teach me about respect”.
Jan 25, 2008 at 7:53 am rating: +8
#39
People Suck
Basically, most customers want fucking slaves.
Well, too bad. You’re not really royalty, just bastards with zero heart.
Jan 25, 2008 at 8:41 am rating: +2
#40
Me
Oh please! I waitressed for several years, and tips were crucial to paying my bills. However, I worked my ass off to earn those tips. I didn’t just expect the tips regardless of my service. Good serve = good tips. Anyone in the US who dines out should include the cost of tip in the cost of their meal. Those who think they shouldn’t tip would scream the loudest if restaurant owners just raised the meal prices, which they would have to do if they paid the servers a full wage. If you don’t want to tip, then you should either cook for yourself or eat fast food. BUT if you are a server who wants tips, then you should do your job well. It goes both ways.
Jan 25, 2008 at 9:58 am rating: +1
#41
XiolaBlue
I’ve been reading and not posting at this site for some time, but this topic made me want to speak! I was a waitress for exactly a month before I got fed up with the whole tipping thing and quit. Servers get screwed for everyone’s screwups, including the cook, who ISN’T depending on the tips to make their check. Then you have to split your tips with buspeople that do a crap job cleaning the table, thereby lowering your tip from the next customer. That’s on top of the customers you bend over backward for that don’t bother tipping a dime. In my opinion, it’s not like real estate or hairdressers who are, in general, basically self-employed – servers (and retail sales, for that matter) work for a business that is taking all of the profit and resdistributing it as frugally as possible. A server works for a company, as opposed to franchising themselves under someone else’s sign. The laws should be changed to make restaurants pay at least minimum – but until that time, the customers who don’t tip because “it isn’t their job” need to consider the fact that they live in a society that makes it so.
Jan 25, 2008 at 10:05 am rating: 0
#42
Will4You
I currently work as a bartender and server and frequently receive checks with no balance. At $3.20/hr I work an average of 30 hours the sum total being $96.00. I pay $60.85/wk for health, dental and vision insurance combined leaving $35.15 remaining. I pay taxes on my hourly wage plus tips claimed AFTER SSI, medicaid, and temp. disability Insurance are taken out (all of which are mandatory by law in my state).
If I make more than $250.00 my check will total out to be for a zero sum. My “check” is actually my legally required proof that my tax liability is cared for. It is also how I total out what I still owe in taxes for that week (usually 1/6 to 1/4 of what I made that week).
Heres the deal, I make a lot of money for which I work very hard, but that does not preclude guests from tipping appropriately. Tipping, love it or not, is part of dinning out. If you can’t afford to tip properly you can’t afford to eat out. If you have a moral objection to it order take out or stay home.
Jan 25, 2008 at 1:04 pm rating: +1
#43
Will4You
BTW – I love my job. I was a teacher for three years before quitting and going back to bartending. I went from a teacher’s salary to making $1500.00 or more per week. I just wanted to help explain why servers get zero sum checks.
Jan 25, 2008 at 1:14 pm rating: +1
#44
Mishee
My God by 7.16 I think I am ready to be a CPA…
Can’t we all just get a bong??
Jan 25, 2008 at 2:19 pm rating: +3
#45
EvilTwin
I’m so tired of people misunderstanding taxes. It’s not possible for you to be taxed for more than you make, you can’t go into a “higher tax bracket” and end up making less than you made at a lower bracket, and the amount of money withheld from your check has no bearing on what you pay to the government. WillforYou explained it well….you’re getting a zero dollar paycheck because more money is withheld than you made in that week. Bottom line, change your withholding or work more hours.
Oh, and I know 4 people who work as wait staff, and they make more money than I do in my shitty corporate america desk job. All thanks to the misconception that tipping at 15% is the BARE MINIMUM, and 20% is more expected nowadays. So waiters and waitresses need to stop being whiney babies, and learn how to be nice to customers.
Jan 25, 2008 at 4:30 pm rating: +5
#46
Ribeye of your Dreams
Hey from RagingServer.com
This woman sounds like the people who come into my job. This was sent to me by a fellow blogger, EpiJunky, who just couldn’t let me pass this up.
People really don’t seem to understand that we don’t get paid a living wage by the restaurant. We RELY on the tips of others. Years ago, when SHE was a waitress, they didn’t rely as heavily on tips, or she wouldn’t have made such a thoughtless remark.
Tell him if she comes back to slap her a bit. To all of you people who say that we as servers need to be nicer to our customers, I’m sorry if you got a shitty server. We’re not all bad, and in my case, I give respect to my guests until I’m disrespected by my guests. At that point, it’s open game.
Jan 25, 2008 at 4:54 pm rating: +2
#47
Canthz_B
Does anyone here watch “Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares”?
The satisfaction of the customer is the most important thing in any restaurant.
No customers, no restaurant, no jobs.
If, as a server, you think you are telling a diner a thing or two by having a bad attitude…you are correct. You are telling them that they should not be repeat customers. The very thing the restaurant needs to survive.
Jan 25, 2008 at 5:27 pm rating: +4
#48
farty mcfartpants
its a shame the server couldnt just piss in the customer’s long island iced tea and been done with it. hindsight is 20/20.
Jan 25, 2008 at 6:15 pm rating: +1
#49
Canthz_B
Look, I pay menu price for food and a nice gratuity for my experience in the establishment. That is not rocket science and some will never accept that, so why bother with the issue at all?
The whole “We don’t make a lot of money, so we need yours” argument just won’t fly. Am I supposed to subsidize everyone with a low paying job?
Guess who would be broke then!
With that…I’m done with this.
Jan 25, 2008 at 8:03 pm rating: +1
#50
fantasy
In my opinion this You Tube says it all! ♥ ♥ “She Works Hard For The Money” ♥ ♥ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CZvYyLDFIg
Jan 25, 2008 at 8:11 pm rating: 0
#51
Lea
In Australia, we only tip for good service – it is not a given right. However, waitstaff are paid actual real wages ( ie: you can *gasp* – live off them )
We travel O/S often, and it really annoys me to have to pay for sub-service in the States because ‘nobody else is paying them’.
However, I enjoy tipping well for fab service.
The whole system needs to be looked at, IMO. Employers should have to pay their staff.
Paid staff = happy staff. Happy staff = good service. Good service = handsome tip.
IMO, of course…
Jan 25, 2008 at 9:01 pm rating: +1
#52
Keachie
Alway leave your tip in cash, and not on the credit slip. That will slow down the government raiders. 15% for normal service. yes you should have worked in a restaurant to be allow to eat in them. Poor service maybe 5%,excellent service 20% and a nice smile and a joke too.
Haven’t worked in a restaurant for 40 years, but eat out often.
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:04 pm rating: +1
#53
fantasy
This server has died while we all fell asleep out of boredom.
Please bring in the funeral directer….”Now That our friendly underpaid server has passed on,let us pray…Minister Please?” “Ahem..Yes now if you will join me in Prayer, please open your Bible to Psalm 23 and read along if you would like”. music plays in background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3buLQoCN6KY
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION UNTIL WE FINALLY LAY OUR SERVER TO REST IN PEACE! ♥ ♥ ♥
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:36 pm rating: +1
#54
mamason
Wow!
There hasn’t been this much heat here since the Great Fruit and Cake Riot of ‘07.
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:08 am rating: +1
#55
mamason
And I thought that the pressing issues of the day were things like global warming, illegal immigrants, the war on terrorism.
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:15 am rating: 0
#56
mamason
I wonder were Hillary and Barrack stand on this issue?
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:17 am rating: 0
#57
fantasy
Tip…….The Special of the Evening is….Beaten dead horse served to you by “Your Cranky Server”.
Jan 26, 2008 at 12:36 am rating: +1
#58
Lurker
I worked in a restaurant near the U.S./Canada border, and there was constant drama over the fact that Canadian customers didn’t realize that the wait staff’s pay was mostly made up of tips.
We had one crazy waitress who went out into the parking lot and threw the coins she had been left at her customers’ car as they were pulling out, yelling, “Here, you must need these more than I do!”
I cooked at the restaurant, and did easily three times the work as any waitress, while most of them made four or five times what I did (without reporting the majority of it on their taxes). Some of them even received public assistance for their kids because their claimed income was so low, while they were actally making salaries their kids’ teachers would never see. And most of them thought nothing of fiddling the orders (i.e. giving a customer free dessert or substituting a more expensive side dish for the cheap one that came with the dinner special) the put the customers in a friendly, high-tipping mood.
The whole silly system just invites corruption.
Jan 26, 2008 at 2:05 pm rating: +4
#59
Crash
How many good servers here resent bad servers ?
I mean I think they would because bad servers could end up giving the good servers a bad name too that they have to prove to their customers otherwise.
Maybe…I don’t know…anyway…
Jan 26, 2008 at 4:05 pm rating: +3
#60
WickedLady
Hey everyone! Living in the Netherlands and therefore having an head start of about 7 hours, I’ll just say it now, because I don’t want to get up at 7 in the morning and I’m too tired to wait: Happy Rabbit Hole Day!
(You didn’t forget, did you?)
Jan 26, 2008 at 7:11 pm rating: +1
#61
bamBAM
I guess if the waitress is PMSing and has gone through 3 1/2 divorces and her faux blonde hair is starting to thin so she’s doing a comb-over thing with it, then a tip would definitely be a luxury.
and wicked lady… wtf???
Jan 26, 2008 at 8:27 pm rating: 0
#62
Grimfool_Reluctant
Jan. 27 2008: Grimfool Darkling climbed up from the rabbit-hole subway exit into the rich blue sky of a Korean winter morning. He didn’t expect Genghis Khan to be waiting for him, and he wasn’t disappointed. Tipping his hat to the wicked lady and adjusting his mink-lined jockstrap, he solemnly skipped past the kilt-wearing penguin spouting scotch and poetry, skirted the psychedelic waitresses sullenly serving libertarian CPAs, and saw a ghost writer rejected by an angled file.
With visions of charred stolen Puma jackets, Oral-B toothbrushes, and song parodies littering the sidewalk, he watched the aurora morph into a fantasy and crash into an avid fan. “Can thz B?” Grimfool asked himself, but he wasn’t himself today, he was every mama’s son.
He knew Genghis Khan was waiting for him at the ivy-covered ivory tower McDonalds, blocking the drive with a sundance so the charming driver couldn’t order seconds out, but Grimfool quickly dawdled in the bathroom – or was it a thrift store dressing room? – where the poster of the pope said he would not accept passive aggressive notes from people he lives with. “Raise your glass and toast the PAN goddess!” Grimfool said to the Circuit City employees facing a blank wall with toy guitars in their hands.
At McDonald’s, the Korean girl greeted him with warm McMuffins.
“Just so you know,” she said, “I gave Francis’ bacon to the lurker, so let’s watch as Robert burns.”
“Just so you know,” he said, “your McMuffins are fucking delicious.”
“Just so you know,” she riposted, “your tip is a luxury.”
Jan 26, 2008 at 8:31 pm rating: +14
#63
Wade
random observations:
1. i have probably eaten at that restaurant, and i am sure i left a tip.
2. waiting tables and tending bar are a hell of a way to make a living. i wonder how the rest of us would fare if our livelihood depended someone freely giving us more than the purchase price.
3. people who deliberately stiff waitstaff are the type of people who block driveways at sundance.
4. there is a lot of angst in the server/servee relationship. let’s all just try to enjoy the meal.
Jan 26, 2008 at 9:34 pm rating: +7
#64
Canthz_B
#63…This moved m…well, been there, done that!
Jan 26, 2008 at 9:42 pm rating: 0
#65
Eric the BeehiveHairdresser
I always hear waitstaff crying foul, but when it comes down to it, they’re usually making a killing compared to a good chunk of office slaves. Their pity party routines tend to work, I think.
Jan 28, 2008 at 12:03 pm rating: 0
#66
SailorAlphaCentauri
I always try to give a tip, even when the service is poor because I know that waiters/waitresses are taxed based on an assumptive amount made in tips.
I rarely stiff people, but when a server gives a performance that is above and beyond the worst I could ever receive, they get nothing. My sympathy dries up and they’re on their own.
Jan 28, 2008 at 12:59 pm rating: 0
#67
RectilinearPropagation
The managers in that restaurant need to be sued.
Waitstaff get paid less based on the assumption that their tips will bring them up to the normal minimum wage.
It is ILLEGAL for employers not to bring their pay up to minimum wage when the tips aren’t enough to do so. Take them to court. You should be getting the same minimum wage as everyone else no matter how crappy your tips are.
Jan 28, 2008 at 2:01 pm rating: +2
#68
Suckers!!
Why don’t you all just become strippers and quit bitching…at least they make more money than you do. Better yet, get a university education and get a real job! I’m only 22, a full-time university student and I work for the federal government….hey, at least I tip
Jan 28, 2008 at 4:17 pm rating: 0
#69
Amanda
Look, there is this attitude that crappy tippers are crappy people – they’re not. Maybe you, server, are having a crappy night, but maybe I am too – maybe I had a hard day at my job and I wanted to treat myself to a dinner out. You might be having an off night, but I am too, and the difference is that I am no longer at work: it is no longer my responsibility to perform the duties of my job. Don’t rain on my parade by taking your shit out on me, because you have no idea what I was doing at my job earlier that put me in my mood. You had better believe that as much as some people dump on you, people get dumped on at their other jobs all the time.
The first job I ever had when I was 16 was working as a file clerk in the customer service department at an insurance company. Sometimes I answered phones and transferred them to the appropriate personnel (namely the people working on their case.) Do you know how many people screamed at me, a high school student, when they weren’t happy about their insurance claims? As uppity as people get about their food, they are 1000 times more uppity about things like insurance that cost them thousands of dollars. Not only had I never seen most of the cases that came through the office, but I did not have any understanding of how cases were decided. But being the first person to answer the phone, I got the brunt of the blame.
I’ve written a lot more than is probably necessary here, but if nothing else please understand my take-home point: a LOT of people get crap from other people at their jobs. Some of those jobs pay better than others, but taking crap from people isn’t what makes servers any more entitled to tips. So while I understand that you’re working below minimum wage, I honestly could give two shits if you feel further put-upon that you have to deal with nasty people. We all have to, every day.
Jan 31, 2008 at 3:50 pm rating: +1
#70
StoopidGirl
I’m a hair stylist who gets paid much like a waiter and I think it’s PATHETIC that someone will tip more for an over priced cup of coffee then a haircut. You don’t need a degree to make coffee!!!
Feb 1, 2008 at 9:12 pm rating: +1
#71
Kakoii
Maybe not a degree but in New York State one must obtain 1,000 hours of training then pass a written and practical exam to obtain a cosmetology license. I think it’s fair to say that those requirements are equal to an associate degree and certainly more involved than the training to become a barista! Also of note, NYS has the most lenient requirements for cosmetology of all the states!
Feb 2, 2008 at 12:30 am rating: 0
#72
powertothepeople
It should be illegal to pay anyone under minimum wage no matter the circumstances. Period.
Food industry just loves their customers getting to subsidize employee wages.
Reform the laws and arguments about tipping will have absolutely no grounds to be based on.
Feb 21, 2008 at 11:30 am rating: +2
#73 There is spit in your coffee | The Dilettante
[...] Because we doubt any of our readers have ever received a paycheque for $0.00, we humbly offer this doozy. [...]
Mar 5, 2008 at 9:29 am rating: 0
#74 je comprends…moi non plus
[...] a friendly tip from your waitress digg_skin = ‘compact’; reddit! stumble it! function [...]
Mar 10, 2008 at 5:21 pm rating: 0
#75
loki6648
If servers do not earn at least minimum wage from tips + hourly wage, then the law requires that the restaurant make up the difference. Therefore, all servers should earn at least minimum wage, and they probably earn a lot more than those who only receive minimum wage.
Mar 10, 2008 at 9:42 pm rating: 0
#76
Scared Waiter
No way can I read all these comments, but already read a few asinine responses from those who simply don’t get what waiters go through. Indicating we “stupid workers” don’t have to take the low paying job in the first place.
Perhaps you’ve never uprooted your life and moved a thousand miles away from your family and hometown in hopes of making something of yourself. Unfortunately for many creative individuals in performing or visual arts don’t have the “luxury” of getting some high paying job where we’re given the respect that we deserve and EARN over and over again.
Does this mean we deserve to be treated unfairly? By the likes of your rich, ignorant ass from Vegas? I suppose your doorman should put up with it if you decide you feel like screaming at him every time you feel he hasn’t met your best expectations? Or the cab drivers who get New Yorkers from point A to point B should just “chose to be president of a major corporation” as Ghrelin commented above?
The truth is, not everyone has that choice to make, and you of all people are grateful for that! Do you really want to live in a world without anyone driving your cabs or serving your food, Ghrelin? And don’t think Japan has simply found a way to keep their waiters in check. They chase you down the street because they are already PAID a regular SALARY as a waiter! Their culture teaches them that to accept your extra money on top of that would be crude and bring bad karma. They actively do not WANT it because they don’t NEED it.
In America (can you say A-MEEEEERRR-III-CAAAA?) servers are NOT paid a regular salary. They are provided a small hourly wage, usually ranging from $2 to $4 per hour, which serves ONLY as a cushion for their taxes to be taken out of each week.
This is why we get checks for $0 or for $0.29 or so forth… Do you want to know how the restaurant figured how much to take out of our checks for taxes? They report 15% of our sales as income!!!
That means if you and your bratty, ugly, disrespectful teenage girls and your bitchy little wife sit in my section and your check comes to $100 for food and drink, guess what!!! The restaurant has ALREADY REPORTED to the government that you tipped me $15.
Then I get to share at LEAST one third of that $15 with the food runners, table bussers, and bar! At my restaurant we actually have to share 45% OF OUR TIPS!!!! That means out of your $15 tip on a $100 check… I am lucky enough to walk home with $8 of that!!!!!!!
So if you tip me any less, you’re actually taking money out of my pocket! GET YOUR GRUBBY LITTLE HAND OUT OF THERE!! You can’t have it! Believe me, if I’m waiting tables, it means I need the money more than you, Father-of-the-Year!
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N O B O D Y E V E R G O T R I C H
B Y U N D E R T I P P I N G ! ! !
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In the restaurant where I work, I have been subjected to violence on more than one occasion by my own management, and am only motivated by the DAILY threat of termination. A threat that has lost all its meaning, but never it’s power as I need this job and have nowhere else to go at the moment.
If you come in to eat, and you have to sit at a table or a counter and you’ve got a waiter, you KNOW GOING IN that you’re going to HAVE to pay at least and additional 15% on top of everything you order! If you can’t afford to do that, then hold your horses and order what you can afford to tip on or better yet… STAY HOME!!!! Let an ACTUAL PARTY OF FOUR come and sit in my only four top table! Take your bimbo girlfriend and your $2 tip and go try a McDonald’s instead!
If robbing waiters of their own reported income makes you appreciate your wealth, I doubt very much I can appeal to your sympathies even with logic. So one last reminder… We have access to your food before it gets to you. We can also spot a bad tipper a mile away (pretty tightly linked with the way you treat your server!) You know what I’m suggesting. Karma is after all a big old bitch, and don’t think I won’t try to serve it to you.
So the next time you find yourself projecting all the anger in your life onto your server, consider a few things…
- More likely than not, your server is TEN TIMES as pissed off as you are about the service you are getting. 85% of that service is OUT OF HIS HANDS! He’s not managing the joint… He’s not frying up your burger… He’s not running your food out to you from the kitchen… He didn’t fix you that drink himself… Yet he is counting on the team he’s paying half his wages to for the help he needs to get you taken care of.
- If you’re unhappy, for the love of Christ, TELL YOUR SERVER! And you needn’t say it with attitude or even worse, with syrupy-sweet-but-ingenuine politeness and overapology. You HAVE to communicate what it is you need to us! We aren’t mind readers, even though we are working as hard as we can to anticipate everything you could possibly need. If you’re so passive aggressive you have to take it out of my tip, consider that you’re probably also too scared to actually TELL me what’s wrong so I can fix it. LOOK, FOLKS… Don’t come in to my restaurant and take your miserable marriage or your disappointment in your children out on me, okay? I’m just trying to get you in and out of here and make sure you’re happy. Gimme that chance!
- Know what the crap you’re complaining about!!!!! If the food took too long… Your waiter has NO power over that! All they can do is keep the pressure on the kitchen to get your food out to you AS you ordered it. If it’s taken longer than 25 minutes, you CAN expect your server to alert a manager to prevent any further delays. TRY ASKING FOR THAT (politely!) NEXT TIME!
If you hate the seat you got or if you’re pissed you didn’t get a booth or if the place is too loud or if your food sucks, guess what…. NOT YOUR WAITERS FAULT!!!! You’ve got eyes and ears and a nose. Check the place out! If you’ve got a bad feeling about the place, LEAVE! Give your server the chance to wait on an appreciative group of people who are ready to pay a fair amount for a job well done by their waiter — or at least as well as is within his very VERY limited power!
Mar 12, 2008 at 5:29 pm rating: +2
#77
Miranda
Ok, so I read most of the comments, skipped some. But if people are regularly getting checks for nothing, then why the hell are they still working there? If I came to work everyday and busted my ass and at the end of the week I got nothing, I wouldn’t come back…. I mean if I didn’t want to earn anything I would stay home and clean and do laundry or mow the lawn or something, I don’t get paid for those things either!
Mar 13, 2008 at 11:36 am rating: 0
#78
momoff19904
If you don’t tip, stay home. Nobody will miss you.
Mar 15, 2008 at 3:26 pm rating: +2
#79
pinkie
Let’s not forget that bussers, food runners, and bartenders, also make a “tipping wage”. Servers then have to pay them for their services, because they don’t get tipped directly by the customers. It’s generally a set amount. At my restaurant they assume each table tipped 15%, I give 10% of that to the bar, 12% of that to the runner, and 18% of that to the busser. So on your $100 check I have to pay $6 to other employees on top of what the gov. takes in taxes. It doesn’t matter if you tip or not, I still owe that money. You see, the owners of my restaurant, and the gov. both assume you’re a human being with a soul and a basic understanding of how eating at a restaurant works. We keep working there because there are good people in this world who tip well, and make up for the cheap bastards who don’t, but that doesn’t make stealing my services ok. Service isn’t included in the price of your food at a sit down restaurant. If you don’t like it, go to McDonald’s where it is included. Enjoy the excellent service you get there.
Mar 17, 2008 at 9:14 pm rating: +2
#80
Sassafras
I didn’t read through all the comments, but the way it works is servers make the base pay and then tips are added. If tips plus your base pay do not reach minimum wage, then you get the difference. Not that min wage is much, but they don’t really make that little an hour. Hospitality and food service businesses do that to keep their costs down because usually servers make way more than minimum wage.
Mar 29, 2008 at 8:28 pm rating: 0
#81
Ribeye of your Dreams
Lately I’ve been getting and seeing other servers get “advice” from non-servers such as : “Find another job” and “If you don’t give good service, stay at home”.
What about those of us who give great service? What about those of us that get embarrassed by the lack of work ethic or skill of our fellow co-workers? We have to pick up the slack for a lot of these servers, including doing most of their serving a lot of time just so that we aren’t chastised by the powers that be.
There are many of us that love what we do, despite having bad nights once in a while. We love getting to meet the people, and we love the money we make. Yes, we make bad money sometimes. Ofttimes it’s not our fault we make the bad money. It’s the fault of the kitchen for not taking the time to read the ticket we send them. It’s the fault of guests who camp while others are waiting and getting more and more upset.
There are many of us who stay in good moods through being sick, being stressed, being sad and being exhausted. We stay in good moods, we keep genuine smiles on our faces, and we are run like dogs. We do everything the guests ask for and more, we make it an enjoyable experience for them. In the end, we still get shit on a lot of the time.
How is it a servers fault they got a bad tip when they managed to find the channel that’s showing the hockey game the guest wants to watch more than anything else? How is it a servers fault they got a bad tip when they not only suggested a good drink that the guest loved, but a drink that was cheaper than the horrible one the guest was going to order?
How is making sure everything is correct and prompt, making sure the guest stays smiling, and making sure the guest has no reason to complain a bad thing deserving of a bad tip…or no tip?
Many people say they don’t tip at all based on the service they’ve received from someone else. How are your past experiences our problem? We’re striving to make your next experience a good one. We put up with listening to you whine and cry, listening to your life stories, listening to you and your spouse fight and argue about the kids. When we’re asked for advice, we give it with a warning that we’re not doctors.
This might sound like a bunch of rambling to a few of you but I assure you, this is the rambling of a good server, one of many that gets shit on by guests for no reason. This may sound like nonsense to a few of you but I assure you, this is the way it is. We’re not trying to put on a pity party, we are doing our jobs. A lot of us aren’t lazy like some of our co-workers. We don’t want them any more than you do! Don’t take it out on us by stiffing us or giving a bad tip.
Don’t make our kids suffer because you were in a bad mood despite your experience being great. They have to eat too, and they rely on us to get their macaroni for the night. They are relying on us to buy their school uniforms.
Our gas tanks are just as low as yours are, but you’re spending a hundred dollars to eat and driving an SUV. You can spare more than 2 bucks out of that gigantic wad of cash you pull out.
When you use your Amex Platinum card for that 300 dollar check, bitched about having to pay an automatic gratuity and had it removed, don’t fuck us over — more often than not when you do that, it literally means that we pay out of our pockets for you to have the luxury of dining with us.
Last but not least, don’t go out with the intention of being a prick to your server. If your parents taught you to tip 2 bucks on every check no matter the size, then it’s time you evolved past their teachings, especially if you were given great service. If we’ve given you one more drink than we should have, or we overlooked charging you for your kids drink, don’t screw us!
Finally, if you have had something removed from your bill (comped), please tip on the pre-comp price of the check. Regardless of your getting most or all of your meal for free because of kitchen errors or kitchen stupidity, we’re still having to both: a. Pay taxes on the total price of the original bill and b. Tip the support staff out of our own pocket based on the original total of your bill.
If you get your meal free, we still have to ring the food up. It doesn’t matter that you’ve gotten a free meal card from the manager at an earlier date, you still screw us when you leave us nothing because of the above reasons.
I’m done with this rant. If you all want some more, visit RagingServer.com where I almost daily give the times of my life as a server. If you think this was brutally honest, hateful, funny or all of the above, then you’ll damn sure hate me when you read my site.
Apr 27, 2008 at 4:55 am rating: +2
#82
MW
Techincally your employer is on the hook to ensure that you recieve whatever the standard minimum wage is for your state/province. If the tips from your credit receipts don’t add to your sub-minimum wage to meet or exceed the legislated minimum they have to make it right. Keep your checks.
Jul 16, 2008 at 7:46 pm rating: +1
#83
bobby
was she the customer? or the server? I’m really confused by this. Who is she burning in this post? A customer? A different shitty waitress? Her boss? This is confusing and does not have enough information.
Jul 21, 2008 at 6:05 pm rating: 0
#84
PandoraWombat
What I want to know is why is the word LUXURY enclosed in a pair of upside-down/right-side-up exclamation points? I wasn’t even aware that LUXURY was a Spanish word…
Aug 3, 2008 at 2:56 pm rating: 0
#85
James Wolfenstein
Tips are unethical. As she shows on the check, tips justify a low wage.
When I enter a restaurant I expect to pay the price on the menu. If the deal is that I have to pay extra for the food being taken to the table, I want it clearly expressed on the menu or a sign. Then, I have the choice to go eat somewhere else.
You can’t demand payment for a service that you don’t have a contract for. If the contract is that I can pay whatever I want, don’t complain if I don’t pay at all. If you want me to pay for your service, open your mouth and say so before serving me. Most likely I’ll go eat somewhere else but that’s my privilege. It’s not my fault that the system is screwed. If you don’t get paid enough to serve me, don’t. Go get another job.
That’s what I do, I make a living without tips. If I can, you can.
Dec 18, 2008 at 9:27 am rating: 0
#86
Jen
Correct me if I’m wrong…Don’t employers have to pay the difference if a server’s tips doesn’t add up to at least minimum wage for that pay period?
Because that’s what the law was when I was a server (admittedly years ago!) Could things have changed since 2000?
Dec 18, 2008 at 10:46 am rating: 0
#87
Jen
Flo,
I posted because I had a general inquiry as to what current industry standards were so that I could have a better understanding of what entails a servers wages. This topic was posted a long time ago, with many replies, none of which definitively answered my question.
Thank you for the education, but the name calling really was unnecessary.
Dec 23, 2008 at 12:23 pm rating: 0
#88
NoTipOnPaper
It is odd that the “great” Ronald Reagan, who had the “largest tax cut in history” and wanted to get “Big Government off our backs” actually signed the bill that contained this tip taxing language. The bill did, however, increase the tax businesses paid on business meals, the so-called “Three Martini Lunch”. Instead of writing-off the entire cost, these poor rich bastards could only write-off half the total bill.
All in all, the legislatin signed by Reagan was the largest tax increase in history, at that time.
Here’s a tip for tippers.
First, I always tip at least 10 to 15% for breakfast, 15 to 18% for lunch and 18 to 20% for dinner. Even if the service is bad. I have rotten days, too!
Second, I always tip in cash. Even if I pay the bill on credit, I draw a big fat zero with a slash on it where you write in the tip amount.
As far as the IRS is concerned, must be a rotten waiter.
This doesn’t always work, depending on how the employer asses tips. But, it NEVER hurts!!
Jul 16, 2009 at 7:42 pm rating: +1
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