Tipping is not mandatory, no. It is, however, highly recommended seeing that most servers make below minimum wage and they depend on those tips for simple things in life like food, rent and car payments. People have lots of reasons for not wanting to leave a tip. There is always the "I don't believe in tipping" guy or the person who looks for one tiny mistake in their dining experience to justify not leaving a tip, but recently someone sent me this photo that begets a whole new excuse for stiffing the waiter: pregnancy.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but I have twins on the way so I have to prepare. I am truly sorry.Unless this pregnant lady has Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger renting the space in her uterus, I think she could have managed to cough up a few bucks for her server. A 15% tip would have only been $4.00 and I dunno what she can get for four bucks that her kids are going to need. Was she taking those four dollars to buy a Diaper Genie because she'll need about $25 more dollars for that. Or if I am going to explain it in words that she would understand, she will will have to "stiff about five more servers" before she reaches that goal. I get it. Kids are expensive. With all the diapers and formula parents have to buy, I would imagine it costs at least $100 a year to support a baby. And that's not even counting all the Goldfish they have to buy so the kids have something to ground up and leave in the cracks of booths in restaurants across America. I think this lady was using her pregnancy as an excuse to be the same cheap bitch she is even when she isn't knocked up with baby.
And what about the server? Maybe she has twins at home that needed that tip. If she does, I have an idea for her. The next time someone orders a steak, get yourself a piece of paper. Write this on it and place it on the plate when you take it to the table.
Thank you for your excellent steak order. Normally, I bring the food to you, but I have twins at home so I put the steak in a fucking doggie bag so my kids will have something to eat when I get home. I am truly sorry.
Surely, customers will understand.
Maybe the pregnant woman could have come up with other ways to save money in preparation for her doubly adorable bundles of bastard child. I don't know, but maybe not eating out in the first place would have been a good way to save $26.65. Hey, that's the price of a Diaper Genie right there! Problem solved, Cheap Pregnant Lady. Some of you will probably say that at least she acknowledged that she wasn't tipping and she apologized, but I call bullshit. If you can't afford to leave a tip, you have no business eating at a restaurant. Period. If you don't believe in tipping, face facts. You have to believe in something if it does in fact exist. You may not like that our country has placed the responsibility on the diner to cover the server's wage, but that's how it is just like how we drive on the right side of the road and watch baseball even though it's the most boring game in the world. This is America. We tip. If you don't like it, I suggest you move to Australia or some other foreign land where servers are paid a living wage. In the meantime, do not use your unborn devil spawns as the reason you are not tipping. If it's not pregnancy, it will be some other reason you don't tip.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but I want a new iPad and need to prepare. I am truly sorry.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but Desperate Housewives is going off the air and I need to prepare. I am truly sorry.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but I have cramps and need to prepare. I am truly sorry.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but I have deep pockets and short arms and I am saving my money for arm extension surgery and I need to prepare. I am truly sorry.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but I am a cheap bitch who will think of any fucking reason to not do so. I am truly sorry.
Bottom line: Just fucking tip.
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54 comments:
Haha love the arm extension surgery excuse
The excuse was just that! an excuse from someone who evidently has used it before and it worked..People who don't tip are asshats.. People who evidently are insincere, rude, brought up by asshats who failed as parents to teach their child (now an adult asshat) about gratuity.
if you don't wanna tip, eat at McDonalds.
I wonder if she ate "clean" for her babies, or if she ate what I ate when I was pregnant: soft cheeses, eggs, and tuna.
Beech.
As a parent of twins I am personally disgusted. It's a*holes like this that give parents such a terrible reputation, thereby forcing considerate patrons like myself wallow in their well-earned disdain. I say f* off and eat your "meal for three" at home if you can't afford to tip.
ugh, now i'm all pissed off, like she stiffed me. esp. heinous that she was well able to spend that much on food for herself but just couldn't handle the tip.
She's preggers? And apparently can't afford it? Lady, they know what cases preggers these days and how to prevent it.
I adore kids*. I dislike most parents intensely.
*when theyr'e young enough not to have been ruined by horrid parents yet.
Oh bah. *caUses* preggers. *sigh*
Oh my gosh, just because she didn't leave a tip???? You need more money get a better job and don't expect others to subsidise you buying shit you can't afford.
Shit they can't afford? You mean like a meal where they intentionally didn't tip, thereby not paying for the service they obviously couldn't afford? Is that what you meant?
And I assume that you are from Britain, perhaps, because here in the good old U.S. of A. we spell it, "subsidize." if I am correct, please remain there, and continue on happily not tipping. If I ever visit, I will be sure rag on all of your customs.
At least $ 100 a year to support a baby? How did you come up with that figure?
Yea.. it's more like $100 a week... when a week is four days long.... but that's not the point... If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat in a full service restaurant. Period. And 'subsidizing' your servers existence? No, sir, you are paying them. With few exceptions, servers aren't payed much (I can't believe some people still don't know this!!) about 1/2 of min. wage. I can't believe people still think that tips are 'extra'. It is THE income. But I suppose we should all just get 'real' jobs. But then who would serve all of the people who can't do those things for themselves?? ::gasp:: Don't trash people who do things for you that you aren't willing or able to do. Geeze.
I think I have only not tipped once in my life. The truth is, that server was horrible. She forgot about me for an hour. I finally walked up to her, and asked her if she would ever get around to my table. She laughed, and then apologized. The restaurant was far from busy.
Am I missing something? I often tip, but to expect it seems unreasonable.
More reasonable to demand a living wage from the person that actually employs you, I would have thought.
I personally would resent being expected to give a charity hand-out when what I want to give is a little extra in appreciation of good service.
Yes, Richard, you are missing something. Leaving a tip is neither "charity" nor a "hand-out." Good lord. It is not "a little extra in appreciation of good service." Servers don't need such condescension. It is CUSTOMARY to leave 15-20% of your total bill in a full service restaurant. If you have a problem with that, plenty of drive-thrus and counter cashiers are awaiting your patronage. Furthermore, the owners and managers of full service restaurants have no control over state and federal laws that require servers be paid minimum wage or, in many cases, much less. Servers rely on tips for the bulk of their income, if not all of it. Many pay periods, I don't even receive a paycheck because it's all gone to taxes. I depend on the cash I take home at the end of each night to, you know, SURVIVE. If a table decides they have a set of twins or an arm extension surgery (ha) to save up for in lieu of a tip, it COSTS me money to cover the flat percentage rate of my sales I give to the bussers, bartenders, hostesses and expediters each shift. That's right, I end up PAYING to WAIT ON YOU.
As for the others who couldn't sense Bitchy's sarcasm when he joked that children cost $100 a year...well, I'm sure there are whole other realms of the blogosphere where I could discuss society's bewilderingly sparse sense of humor.
Thank you for your excellent service. Normally I tip, but I have SOB syndrome.
I love women, but they suck at tipping, pregnant or not. You'd never catch a pregnant man not tipping.
I've seen more than once a man signing the bill, only to have his wife lean over and see how much tip he left and have her whisper fiercely, "What are you doing? That's too much." And then she will grab the pen from him and scribble out what he wrote and fill it in with a more appropriate 12%.
P.S. If this offends any ladies out there, I'll let you know that I have to prepare for the bourbon I am about to drink. I am truly sorry.
In these situations I remember that *I* have good karma. Someone else will come along and make up for the non tip deficit.....and I smile to think that the cheapskate will get their 'return' in full also.
~The Damn Yankee
Preach on, Brother!! :-)
In the words of my high school band teacher, "Excuses only satisfy the giver."
In the words of Myr, "Leave a decent tip or stay home and eat Ramen noodles, you cheap ass ratchet beeyotch!"
well i just got off work and was searching online for reasons a table would not leave me a tip. I had a $46 dollar table that left me nothing and I know I gave them great service as I was not busy at the time. She looked a little confused at the debit machine and may have pressed 0 instead of the $0, the 0 leaves 0 and the $0 lets you leave a dollar amount.
Any ways tipping is absolutely necessary for one reason.
If you do not tip me I literally have to pay to serve you. I tip 3% to the house and 1% to the bar.
So on this particular bill I paid $1.84 to serve them.
Also, I can not handle people who tell servers to stop complaining and find a different job. I just finished my degree and am starting my masters in september. It is almost impossible to find any other job that it willing to train you only to have you leave 4 months later.
bottom line - at least leave enough for me to cover my tip-out to the house and bar, 10% at least please.
Erin, why is there a "minimum" wage if it is acceptable to pay less than that minimum?
I don't dispute that people should feel aggrieved at not being paid, I just can't fathom why they don't blame the state or federal laws that you mention. You suggest there is a legal upper limit to pay - a maximum wage rather than an enforced minimum. That is unbelievable.
Also to add, there is not the same kind of tipping culture in the UK, so my difference of opinion comes from a completely different context to you guys.
Colonel Red,
It's the truth, tipped employees have a minimum wage which is less than 30% of what the regular minimum wage is.
Also, it's fine and dandy if you don't tip in the UK, just know that when you come to the US you are expected to tip 15-20%.
Aren't servers taxed on tips they "should" earn, based on the amount of food they've sold? That's what I've always thought. And thats why I always leave a tip. It's not a 'hand out' in the slightest. More importantly, and I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet, but shouldn't she 'prepare' for parenthood before even GETTING pregnant? Good LORD! I guess whoever got her pregnant was giving HER an unexpected 'handout'.
New thing called sarcasm.
Customers should not be put in the position to supplement the income of servers. The best thing a customer can do for the business is to continue coming back. It's the cooks that do most of the work anyway. Also, why should a waiter be tipped more for a more expensive meal; he or she doesn't have to work any harder to bring the more expensive meal out. So what, you wait on people; that's your job. Most jobs are stressful. I go over and beyond on my job daily. I stay extra hours (no extra pay), do extra needed things, and more. Do I get a tip? No! Do I get paid a lot? No. Customers don't owe you nothing. Tipping is ridiculous and should be banned. If you are struggling, get a second job or another job and sit down somewhere.
Actually, the cost for a baby in the first year can reach $11,000 (yet another reason I'm not having one). But really, if you're so worried about money that you can't leave a four dollar tip, you shouldn't be spending $30 on dining out in the first place. It's a lame excuse.
A Scouting group whose members I am acquainted with (comprising of 14-17 year old boys) went down to the States for a camp. They stopped to eat at restaurants on the way. They had two advisors with them. The first advisor gave them a full five-minute lecture about the fact that servers in the States don't make minimum wage like servers do in our province (minimum wage up here was probably about $7 or $8 an hour 8 years ago when this happened) and so the boys will tip. They will tip on the before-discount amount, and they will tip AT LEAST 20% no matter what the service is like. Because waiters don't get paid as much in the States, so tipping is very important. Which is why you must tip. The other advisor nodded along and confirmed that yes, tipping is very important.
The bills came. The 14-17 year old boys, who barely had any idea of what paying for your own meal is, tipped at least 20%. The first advisor tipped 30%. The second advisor didn't tip. 0%.
He ended up getting charged with a host of offences against children years later, so him being a cheap bastard asshole was just the tip of the iceberg. But the point is, THERE IS NO REASON TO NOT TIP, if even the 14 year old Canadian boys who don't know what working for a living is like are tipping 20%.
I think those saying that TBW shouldn't expect a tip and is being unreasonable should try waitressing for a day. Since most of you give off the customary non-tipper vibe, see how it feels to meet others like you and depend on them.
Or maybe you should rally for restaurant owners to pay their waitresses more than 2.49 an hour.
Oh but that would raise the price of food and then you would likely just stop eating out because of it.
If you can't afford even a $3 tip, DONT GO OUT TO EAT.
If you are that broke you have a whole hell of alot more to worry about than spending $30 on a meal. Worry about your expenses and eat out when you can afford it. You don't NEED to eat out, trust me, I blog about frugal shopping and affordable at home dates all the time, so eating out when broke is not a necessity.
It is true that all of you whining about how it shouldn't be your responsibility to pay the servers wages would be sorely disappointed to find if your wishes came true and restaurants started paying servers better wages then your meals would go up at least 20%, possibly more because in a business you up charge on any expenditures in order to make a profit. When you purchase any kinds of good or services you are contributing to the employees of that business's wages. Do you think business have this magical money account that just appears to pay servers? Also saying a tip is a "handout" is the most ridiculous bullshit I've heard in a while. I didn't realize that waking up and working hard for the money you make was somehow asking for a hand-out. No sir, you requested a service and that server provided you with it therefore he or she is entitled to compensation from you whether it is included in your bill. Tipping is a custom you want because it gives you the flexibility to adjust what you leave according to your satisfaction.
the arm extension made me laugh! but the ones who kill me, are the ones who are always giving a damn verbal tip!! dont tell me how good i am and then tip me 5 bucks on a 100 dollar bill! lmfaoo i cant get enough of those cheap bastards lololol
People who don't tip need to diaf.
Don't eat out unless you can to tip decently. And decently is at least 15%, and over 20%
My favorite "tip" of them all is: "Oh everything was perfect! Great service! I'm gonna send an email to your manager and let them know."
***Opens book to exact change*** Gee thanks... Your compliments will surely pay my rent this month.
Aussie Waitress
Hi, I am a huge fan of this blog. I am writing as an aussie waitress. I love my job and the people i meet but I agree some people are stupid. Tipping isnt mandatory in Oz but I swear it should be. I work at a US style restaurant where they pay is crap and it's because management encourage tips. I had a friend who went to the US and deliberately stiffed her servers on tip and posted it on facebook as some sort of triumph. I am saddened by that because not all aussies are like that. IF I go to a new country or place I look up customs etc and follow them. I went to the south pacific where women dress more conservatively than in Australia and I did so too out of respect. If these people can afford to go OS and eat out, then tip!!!
I know I don't have the money to eat out now so I don't. Back when I did, I rarely tipped less than 20% because I knew the servers needed the money. There were only two times I didn't tip at all, and both times the waitress made our party wait ages to order in a dead restaurant.
If you can't afford to tip, then you can afford to eat out. Period.
I call bullshit on this story. Servers are paid at least minimum wage per state, if you want to work as a server and depend on the customer to pay your wage, that's not a good business or job for you. Go to school get a higher education and a real job that will pay the wage you seek. I get the tipping, I'm a 10-15%er if you do a great job more if u do any less of a job screw u, don't expect me to tip, expecting a 20-25% tip is ridiculous, and thats what waiters have come to expect, I guess if someone or the people who can do that much so be it whatever people can and want to tip, theyl tip. It is after all called a "tip" @ 25% for every $1000 spent on food another $250 went to tips? Dosent make sense to me..
bullshit on this story. If u expect the customer to pay your wage get a new job, you get paid at least minimum per state if u signed up for that thats what you get, I tip 10-15% more or less depending, servers expecting 20-25% eat a... That's ridiculous. It is after all a "tip" get out of the service industry if u depend on this "tip" but why would u u make good money dont you?
The suggestion that there is a legal upper limit to pay is unbelievable because it's totally false. There is no "maximum" legal pay, there is a minimum wage for most employees and the minimum for certain types of jobs which typically receive tips, such as waitering, has a lower legal minimum. The choice as to how much an employee is paid is up to the business managers and the employee. In a free country, you can choose to accept that wage or work somewhere else. No customer is obligated IN ANY WAY to subsidize that pay, even if you are the best at what you do. Tips started out as a way for a customer to thank and reward a server for going above and beyond their expectations in service or attitude. The attitude that you are a cheap bastard for not giving a tip is kind of proof that you didn't deserve one in the first place.
Ha! Good one.
Offended, but I'll get over it. I have seen such sights. Some of my girl friends are cheap when it comes to tipping. And because of that I have politely refused to dine with them. Though some I called cheap ass skanks to their face. They usually stare at me with big doe eyes at first, then start laughing. They think I'm joking. I'm not.
Only once have I not tipped. It was back in the 70s, and I had exactly the cost of the meal, no more, no less. When the server came over I explained that I would not be able to tip that day, and apologized in advance. I was treated very nicely, BTW.
I also promised to tip double the next time I went in the place, which I did.
TIPS stands for "to insure proper/prompt service" dont want prompt or proper service? dont tip. see how much you like going out to eat after that.
I went out the other night and my server was very pregnant. She was excellent and when our bill came I told the Hubs to double his usual tip since she was needed to prepare for her future. I think people who don't tip because they can't afford it shouldn't eat out in restaurants where tips are common place. If you're that hard up, go to McD's they have a dollar menu. I'm sorry people are assholes.
No Richard. You are paying your server for their services. You pay the establishment for the product and your server for waiting on you via tip.
Bullshit! My husband leaves 20% and I ALWAYS try to grab the bill because I was a server and bartender and I leave more. I even stop at the ATM I can leave cash so the server won't have to pay taxes on it.
it sickens me that someone would even write this article judging this person. it is NOT that big of a deal, like you said, stinging on that $4 wont get her much, but it wouldn't get the waiter/waitress much either....
T.I.P.S Is an acronym that stands for "to ensure prompt service. That is why servers are paid 2.13 an hour is so they will take care of the gueat because their livelihood depends on it. The only reason to not tip is poor service. U do a job, u get paid foe that job. Otherwise, the peraon should not expect you to so the job. If u go into a restaurant where you will be having a server, then you know that they will be performing a service for you, just like when u call an electrician or go to the doctor. It is the same as refusing to pay your bills. If one is given a service, then one should pay for it. It also helps keep the price of the food low having to pay the servers less.
I know that this post went up a little bit ago, but I had to weigh in. I want to address several issues that people have brought up here.
1. I have 2 degrees, one in a liberal arts, one professional, and I still waitress. College loans mean that my starting wages at my "real" jobs can't pay enough for me to live on, and now I'm also saving for my wedding. So all the people who say, "get another job", um, I did, and serving is it. It IS a job and, depending on the place, can be hard work. We know it is actual work, and most of us aren't afraid of actually busting our ass, we just want to be paid for it.
2. In Pennsylvania, minimum wage for servers is $2.85. The goverment assumes that we make 12% of our sales and taxes us accordingly, meaning we usually don't see a paycheck and we can still owe at the end of the year. When will people understand that that we pay taxes on the food THEY bought, in addition to tipping out other staff, and working on side-work for quite awhile after they are gone and are no longer paying us to be there?
3. It is to the public's advantage that they tip us. The cost of our wage is not passed on to them in the price of the food, and they are not obligated to pay for poor service the same as they would good service. Tipping also incentivizes excellent service, because the server knows that there is the potential for a better reward. The public control the service they get by what they pay for it. If we were paid a salary, think about what type of service you would get...Right now I am willing to get you your third ramekin of ranch because, you know what, it's my job, and you might actually pay me for running around for you. But for $8/hr, well, you might have to wait for that ramekin for awhile because you can't demand better service because you aren't actually paying me for it.
By asking for a payment for the work we did, servers are not asking for a hand out; we are asking for the public to treat us fairly, and as though we are valued members of the workforce.
And the anger and frustration that many people interpret as a server saying, "I deserve a 25% tip because I rang in your food order, you poor, vicitmized, hard-working member of the public," actually comes about because often servers are people-people who genuinely try to be friendly, attentive, doing-anything-you-need SERVANTS, and then they get ass-rapped shift after shift. It wears everyone down after awhile. If we consistently got, even 15%, you better believe you would get excellent service pretty much every time you went out, and there would less bitterness behind all of Bitchy Waiter's posts.
I can totally relate to this...I started working in the service industry to save for college and the sh*t I had to put up with really changed my perspective on people...and whoever said waiters need to stop complaining about their real jobs have you ever considered that maybe they need their serving job to pay for an education... you know not everyone gets things handed to them in life..so before you stiff a server remember that they are trying to make a living and a future for themselves in perhaps the only way they can
Hey hey Ozzie servers need shoes too!
I've been serving tables for about 11 years now, it sucks when people don't leave a tip- even worse when you know you gave great service- and it would just piss me off to see a BS note as to "WHY" they didn't leave one- when I first started serving I definitely wasn't that good sometimes and If I didn't receive a tip then I was upset, but not with the patron... With myself ! Using those couple of times when I was starting out to learn to better serve; now that I've been serving for this long and know when I give great service; I am just disappointed when I get no tip or next to no tip; chalk it up to whatever but It all evens out; I still average about $15-20 an hour for a busy night so whatever... Now if someone gave me a BS reason it could piss me off and potentially hurt the tips I'd get for a few more tables since I'd then be in a slightly worse mood..
Tipping is a choice. It is not the consumers responsibility to make up the pay for the servers. The restaurants are the ones who HIRED them. They are the ones who decided the pay. If servers aren't making enough money they should take it up with them. Stop blaming the customer if servers are not getting paid enough.
Anonymous clearly doesn't tip much when they go out to eat...
For all those who tell us to "get a different job" who do you expect to serve you when you go out to eat?! Dummies.
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