Tipping

I worked as a waiter when I first got out of college way back when. It was only for 3 months until I found my fulltime job. From my experience both as a waiter and customer, I think the job in essence is groveling to earn an income. Waiting tables is the only profession where the worker by law is paid a subminimum wage. Plus the waiter has to depend on the generosity of customers.

Some people who defend the system will tell anecdotal stories about knowing a waiter who makes $100K or more with tips annually. I don't think that's the norm. I feel that no worker should make less that the minimum wage and tipping would then be at the pleasure of the customer. Furthermore, all the excuses that the menu prices would rise should have no bearing. Restaurants should charge whatever the meals costs.

Customers should not be playing the role of employers.
 

Keesha said:
Absolutely. Servers get paid a very low wage because their employees expect customers to make up for it.They also think it’s a good incentive to do better to earn the money which is really sad and unfair. I worked as a waitress to put myself through college. Luckily I worked at some very ritzy places and made good tips but I worked hard. There are no breaks. You literally can end up working on your feet for over 8 to 10 hours so until workers receive a ‘living wage’ tipping should be expected.

I’m a great tipper also. I appreciate the work these people do to serve us. They are under paid and deserve it.
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Exactly. I was never a waitress but know from others what hard work and low pay it is. I'm sure your servers appreciate your generosity. Especially now that the pandemic has hit the hospitality industry so hard I just think we should try to put ourselves in their places.
 
have never worked in a restaurant of any kind. i consider myself a good tipped. my ex tipped way too much. let me explain. i'm NOT saying server didn't deserve every tip they get... he was just a dope when it came to math. he also had an incredible NEED for attention, so leaving a HUGE tip for decent service gave him that.

are there any stats on what a typical server makes per hour. i imagine many servers can go from way high to nothing depending on each table full of diners.
 

FastTrax said:
I have no opinion about tipping, over tipping, under tipping or electing not to tip. Everybody has their own reasons be it financial, cultural, religious, ethnic, personal or otherwise and that's good enough for me. Being born and raised in NYC, a Christian with a good heart and a staunch union man who well knows like yours truly a great majority of people work not because they want to but because they have to. With that having been said I truly wish everybody on this planet had union jobs with the historical protection they afford their dues paying rank and file members. I always tip everybody from A to Z. Even fast food restaurant employees. The few times when a host or hostess is extremely rude, ill mannered or contemptuous I'll give my tip to another host or hostess and make it quite clear that I want my tip to go them instead. I never ever complain to anyone much less a supervisor, manager or owner about substandard service. I just don't return there and that's that. I believe the only professions that set's a no tip policy is the United States Postal Service, and most if not all public service employees. My minimum tip is 25% or commensurate with the total bill less tax.
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Beautifully said. Kudos.
 
When I first went to the Netherlands, I went to eat in a restaurant and overheard a conversation between an American lady and the waiter. She asked if it was expected to leave a tip. The waiter replied that he received a salary and did not expect tips, but if she wished to show appreciation for the service, she was free to leave one.

In the UK it was usual to leave a tip on the table, and one evening in a restaurant in Rochester, Mn, this is what I did. When I came to pay the bill, the cashier was quick to point out that I hadn't included a tip. I explained that I left a tip on the table and was told quite rudely that it wasn't the way it was done. I said I would give them a tip - don't eat here.
 
I think you have to be a very competent person to be a waitress/waiter, some don't even write it down, they actually remember your order, even with large groups. I would be hopeless at it.
 
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