When you walk into a restaurant and your server greets you, what are your thoughts? How thirsty you are, how hungry you are, how nice your server is, or how their day has been? I am willing to guess the last question does not go through many non-food industry civilian's minds. However, if you are a part of the restaurant industry you may notice how many tables they have, the attitude in their voice from the constant insults from table 95 and the fast pace motion that, you know means, they still have not greeted 93 and still need to get drinks for 101.
The way that non-food industry civilians treat servers is a crisis in today's society. Your waitstaff is not your punching bag after a long day and is definitely not your servant. The average waitstaff makes around 9 an hour and often times in many states make 2.18 an hour. When you think about the fact that a server only works around a 5-6 hour shift a day, you realize they are definitely not working for their hourly wage.
The purpose of a tip is to show your appreciation to the person who just waited on you hand and foot. Although your waitstaff loves to hear all of your wonderful compliments, this does not pay the bills. From my own experience, an average tip is around 15% depending on the mood of your guest and if the food was set on the table exactly how they wanted it. Sometimes, the service given by the waitstaff can effect the experience you have at a restaurant, but most guests don't think about the kind of day the waitstaff is having.
Tipping a waitstaff at the end of your meal has appeal to value, in the sense that the underlying value of tipping is to show appreciation for the service you received, and how you value the experience. When a guest gives a good tip (15%-20%) this concludes that the waitstaff was doing something right and that you were happy when you walked out, if a bad tip was left (10% or below) it tells the waitstaff that they were leaving unhappy and that something throughout the meal was inefficient.
The issue with this system is that many guests that enter into a restaurant do not realize the problem with leaving less than 10% tip. The guest does not realize that the server does not get to take home this entire tip, that they are taxed on this amount and also that this is all they basically live on. So some leave such a low tip based on the fact that they spent a little more than they wanted to, or they ran out of money, and don't want to break a $20.
There could be a few solutions to this phenomena of tipping. Two solutions that I believe could help is built in tip or raising minimum wage for waitstaff. Although I think it would be hard to raise the minimum wage for waitstaff this could help stop the expectations for tipping. The other solution is having a built in tip, why this could also be a problem is because TIPS stands for 'to insure promptness service'. Some may not be thrilled with the idea of having to automatically tip the server not being based on the service given.
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ReplyDelete" but most guests don't think about the kind of day the waitstaff is having."
ReplyDeleteDo servers think about what kind of day the customers are having? If you don't, then WHY be UNEVEN? I mean, this is BUSINESS, NOT a PERSONAL ADVENTURE. You want money, do your job well. Why does it matter how you have been if I don't know you personally, because you don't care about how I am? Do you care if the customer just got laid off? I bet if you couldn't find a job in the field you were in(let's say you made $30,000 a year), you wouldn't just necessarily take an job you could if you had another family member working and you'd need to be free for interviews during possible work times. You also probably wouldn't say "I won't eat out for 6 months because I can't find a job" would you? I bet you still would. My point being here, is that you don't care about how we are, so why should we care about you on a personal level? WHY should personal issues affect this issue of tipping? This is a BUSINESS TRANSACTION. This isn't a CHARITY or PITY PARTY.
If you want a good tip, you have to do a good job and you have to be nice. You can't make a mistake and not apologize, then expect to still get 20%, it doesn't or shouldn't work that way. You should be nice enough to have put 100% EFFORT to try not to get things wrong like writing things down.
When you show you care, the customer will care about your tip in most cases in general.
"From my own experience, an average tip is around 15% depending on the mood of your guest and if the food was set on the table exactly how they wanted it."
Tipping doesn't just have to do with food, you do realize that right? Drinks, the check, refills, overcharges, waits for things that the server can control, do they apologize for their mistakes, etc. Let's say my server gets my order right, but they overcharge me with NO apology? Why should I give them 20% or even 15% when they can't apologize? They will get around 10%-11% at most if they can't apologize and maybe even nothing depending on the situation. My husband and I have had a number of overcharges over the years.
Do you care about us? Do you compare the menu prices to the check prices to see if there is an overcharge? While I know you can't change the price, so can't the managers even. In most cases, if it's a corporate restaurant, the manager takes the amount off at the end of the check. My point is though, YOU should be CARING about our money if you expect us to CARE about your money. It's a 2-way street, but from this blog post, you are caring JUST ABOUT YOURSELF. It doesn't matter how your day has been. It matters how you treat us if you want a good tip. As I said, do you care if your customers just lost their jobs from being laid off(not being fired)? I doubt you do or would consider that leaving 10% would be OK in their situation, because to you they should either not eat out in the first place or buy something less expensive or get less items. The thing is, you should still appreciate they gave you SOMETHING at least. Without customers, you make NO TIPS at all, so I would appreciate even a 10% tip, it's better than nothing at all.
My husband and I tip at times as high as 25%-30% and upwards, but also have stiffed to 10% to 8% to 15%, to 12% to 20% to 17%, etc. However the service was is how we tipped. This is to show you that we aren't cheap, but you do have to show you CARE about us in order for us to care about you(when tip time comes). Don't act like we aren't important and only your feelings are. That's how your blog post is written, very selfishly.
"The guest does not realize that the server does not get to take home this entire tip, that they are taxed on this amount and also that this is all they basically live on."
ReplyDeleteThat's not the customer's problem is it? You took the job KNOWING this. If you don't like it, go to work at McDonald's or Walmart, I mean really. Everyone has to pay taxes, so don't bring the government in this. Also, you should have to tip out the bartender if they made a bar drink for your table or the busser if they cleaned up the table for you. I think THAT IS VERY FAIR. You should also tip a food runner if they brought the food to your customer's table. I mean THEY are doing the work, NOT YOU in those areas, so it's only FAIR. You do realize that right?
"When you walk into a restaurant and your server greets you, what are your thoughts?"
ReplyDeleteI wish that nothing goes wrong, that we get good service, if something does go wrong I wish to hear an apology, I think about and hope they try their best. What thought goes on when they greet me in most cases is "WHY aren't they taking their pad and pen out", because lots of servers forget drinks or get drinks wrong that we have had over the years because they were too lazy to write things down.
I do also think about how hungry and thirsty I am, so when I see them go to other tables instead of just telling them that she or he will be right with them that they are there for several minutes a piece, it hurts that they are CUTTING in front of our time. Like once, we waited 10-11 minutes for 2 cokes because a waiter got triple sat. That's ridiculous that all that cutting went on. WE got the shaft instead of who deserved it, the THIRD table, NOT US. 7 other drinks got filled with ice and soft drink or iced tea BEFORE our 2 cokes. He also didn't come to greet us until 3 minutes after we got seated as well.
I treat my server they way they treat me. If you aren't fair, you shouldn't get a good tip because you weren't fair. No one table should wait 10 minutes for 2 cokes, that just shouldn't happen. Double and triple seating shouldn't even occur and the managers are too stupid to realize how they makes bad service and ends up making people not want to come back rather than just letting them sit in the waiting area a bit longer because they don't want to risk losing the customer entirely, but the thing is, it makes service so bad when the server is triple sat or even double sat, but it's worse when the server is triple sat. NOBODY honestly gets good service and the 3rd table gets the quickest service the way some servers do it and that's SOOO DAMN UNFAIR to the 1st table and even the 2nd table that gets to cut in front of the 3rd table.
If you want a good tip, you have to be FAIR. That means the waiter should have gotten our only 2 cokes since we had already waited 3 minutes already. He shouldn't have done what he did. It was just wrong. Then he even had the GALL to hand off the tray a lady at the 2nd table her's first. I was some pissed when I saw him do that, like WTH???
If you servers want a good tip, you have to be FAIR! You can't be unfair and then expect a good tip. That's just stupid to think you should.
"is definitely not your servant."
ReplyDeleteThey are if they want our money. You do what we ask you to do if you want your pay. As long as we do it NICELY OF COURSE.
My server is my servant. They are there to follow the set of instructions I ask them NICELY to do. If they decide to not do something on purpose, why should they get a nice tip or a tip at all?
I am not sure why you think servers aren't servants?
"Your waitstaff is not your punching bag after a long day"
This one I will VERY MUCH 100 BILLION PERCENT AGREE WITH! There's never a reason to be mean or rude to a server unless they were rude or mean to you.
"Some may not be thrilled with the idea of having to automatically tip the server not being based on the service given."
ReplyDeleteThe solution would be to tip FAIRLY like not tipping well even though the service was bad or not being cheap if the service was good to tip the correct amount.
There's no incentive if there wasn't tipping. I mean WHY would server want to give you 4 refills if they were going to get the same pay no matter what compared to the table that didn't even want any refills? Work harder, get no more pay, how the hell is that fair or right, huh? Even though refills are free, they DO count a huge part of the service when tip time comes.
"but most guests don't think about the kind of day the waitstaff is having."
ReplyDeleteAgain, this one BUGS ME TO NO END! WHAT DOES THIS MATTER AND WHY SHOULD YOU EVER EXPECT THIS OF ANYONE? This isn't personal. This is BUSINESS!
You don't care about our day, WTH should we care about yours? As I mentioned before, I bet you don't check each price on the customer's check against the menu for overcharges? Aren't I right? If so, then WHY should we care about your money any if you don't care about ours, huh? You don't see how you are being so SELFISH HERE, HUH? You only care about yourself!