Tipping---- I sure know about tipping so do you tip?

L

Lon

Well-known Member
Location
Central California
From 1946 to 1952 I lived with my newly divorced mother in a studio apartment in Oakland, Ca. She was a good mother with a eighth education that during those years worked as a waitress & cashier in San Francisco. She received no child support or alimony from dad who had remarried. I was able to contribute to our living with a number of jobs. as a 12 year old, a news paper route was about it. As I got older, box boy, delivery boy, washeteria worker, unloaded box cars of Fruit Cocktail etc. etc. for Libby and my Junior & Senior year of High School as a Doorman/ Usher in a Theater.

Mom would come back to our very small studio apartment after a long day and count her tips out on the kitchen table I sure know how happy or sad she was as she counted out the coins. She did receive some kind of salary because she belonged to a Union. I enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War and was so happy that she remarried in my second of four year enlisted service. Did this experience motivate me? You betcha it did. It motivated me to get a better education and to pursue a career that did not involve tipping and I think it's safe to say that I am a pretty generous tipper.
 

Lon said:
From 1946 to 1952 I lived with my newly divorced mother in a studio apartment in Oakland, Ca. She was a good mother with a eighth education that during those years worked as a waitress & cashier in San Francisco. She received no child support or alimony from dad who had remarried. I was able to contribute to our living with a number of jobs. as a 12 year old, a news paper route was about it. As I got older, box boy, delivery boy, washeteria worker, unloaded box cars of Fruit Cocktail etc. etc. for Libby and my Junior & Senior year of High School as a Doorman/ Usher in a Theater.

Mom would come back to our very small studio apartment after a long day and count her tips out on the kitchen table I sure know how happy or sad she was as she counted out the coins. She dd receive some kind of salary because she belonged to a Union. I enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War and was so happy that she remarried in my second of four year enlisted service. Did this experience motivate me? You betcha it did. It motivated me to get a better education and to pursue a career that did not involve tipping and I think it's safe to say that I am a pretty generous tipper.
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It would have been before 1946 when my mother worked as a waitress, and while I don't know whether it was local and don't know if it's the same way these days but waitresses weren't even paid minimum wage.
She said she didn't do too badly til the boss came up with a policy that all tips had to be placed into a jar and divvied up equally among all the waitresses.
 
JaniceM said:
It would have been before 1946 when my mother worked as a waitress, and while I don't know whether it was local and don't know if it's the same way these days but waitresses weren't even paid minimum wage.
She said she didn't do too badly til the boss came up with a policy that all tips had to be placed into a jar and divvied up equally among all the waitresses.
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That's a nice Socialist Approach!
 

I have always believed that if I had enough money to go out to eat,the least I could do was to give the hard working person waiting on me a generous tip.
 
We spend 2 or 3 days a month at the casinos, and most of our meals are "complimentary", so we always tip at least 15% of the normal charge...20% if we're having a good day at the games.
 
Sassycakes said:
I have always believed that if I had enough money to go out to eat,the least I could do was to give the hard working person waiting on me a generous tip.
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Same here. I worked food service jobs when I was younger, haven't forgotten the hard work and crappy wages, tips made the difference.
 
JaniceM said:
It did sound a bit unfair- especially for the young women who worked harder than the others.
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That's how it is around here at most places. A really good server that we like always gets a cash tip and reminded to keep it to herself. I never leave a tip on my credit card. Always leave cash and tip 20%.
 
I tip and if the service has been very good, I tip pretty good. If the service has been only fair or bad, I still leave a tip. I don't leave a penny like some who say they do if their service was bad, but I may only leave 5%.
 
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I tip around 20% but there is one situation that bothers me. Some places have you wait in line to place and pay for your order, give you a receipt and number to listen for so you can pick up your own order. You then get your own drink, find your own table, and bus your own table on your way out the door. Yet they have a tip jar and line on your credit card statement that you have to sign that has a tip amount on it that you have to put something down for or feel funny about it. I have even seen a drive through with a credit card receipt I had to sign like that. If the first place what are you supposedly tipping for and wth is tipping before you even know if you enjoy the food?

I seldom go back to places like that as it just doesn't set right with me. Am I looking at it wrong?
 
My mom was a waitress for most of her adult life. I worked in food service thru high school and first part of my higher education. I know tips.
I know what very good service is and what is out of the servers control. I tip very well for very good service, or very good effort in a not so good environment.
 
Warrigal said:
Is it a matter of how hard they work or how attractive they are?
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Appearance does not enter into my tipping. I judge a server on quality of service. I consume a lot of liquid with my meals. I tell the waiter right off to keep an eye on my beverage. If it is kept full,a generous tip is coming.

If I get poor service I always leave a short tip and a note saying why.
 
The idea of tipping is to to Insure Promptness sounds good. But what if the owner hires two waiters for 12 tables each to save money. What if the cook waits till there's a bunch of orders before he goes back into that hot kitchen again. And why don't you tip the guy at the auto parts store for his prompt service? How do you show your dissatisfaction with his slow service? Why is it that waiters are exempt from the minimum wage, but the cook isn't? And how many claim poor service to get out of paying a tip?
 
I worked at a major west coast motel as a houseman. pay was decent. but I refused tips. I consider my job paid and any services rendered came under that. always prompt when guests asked for something, more towels, bed, etc...
 
I'm like Sassycakes, if I can afford to eat out at a restaurant, order delivery or take a cab, I always tip....never stiffed anyone.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
But what if the owner hires two waiters for 12 tables each to save money.?
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Actually what they do, and this I'm getting from my daughter who worked at IHOP while she was in school, is that the manager will schedule too many servers. That way he insures that all the customers get quick service, but that the servers have to split the tips among more of them and they make less money. Why is that? Becuase he can afford to since the minimum wage of $2.13 per hour for tipped employees is dirt cheap. In addition the servers are expected and required to do a significant amount of side work. Folding napkins, preparing silverware, etc. During this time they are not able to make any tips. So the manager gets this work done for $2.13 an hour.

In addition they have to put up with rude people who run them ragged and don't leave a dime, plus dudes old enough to be their fathers hitting on them.
 
Falcon said:
I'd rather find my wait-person and hand her a tip than leave it on the table where it may "get lost" somehow.
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I always make sure my server sees my tip so that he or she will know if it gets picked up by someone else.
 
I'm a good tipper because I appreciate how hard the servers work.

I've always wondered, though, why we tip based on the amount of the bill. For instance, if I order a $5 bowl of chicken noodle soup and my dining companion orders a $15 bowl of lobster bisque and the waitress brings both of them at the same time on the same tray, assuming that we will tip 20% of our bills, why does my companion need to tip $3 and I only tip $1? We're getting the same service. Just wondering.
 
Falcon said:
I'd rather find my wait-person and hand her a tip than leave it on the table where it may "get lost" somehow.
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Ditto, Falcon. I do the same as you. If everything was excellent, I like to personally thank the waiter/waitress.
 
I always tip but it is less for poor service, more for O.K. service and much more for outstanding service.

I once paid the bill for a small group that included a very messy and demanding 2 year old. In consideration for other diners, at my request, we had been seated as far away from others as possible so serving us was much more difficult than it should have been. It was a wonderful but pricey meal but i still tipped about 50%, put cash in her hand and asked her to take care of the busboy. Sometimes it's expensive to be Grandma.
 
jujube said:
I'm a good tipper because I appreciate how hard the servers work.

I've always wondered, though, why we tip based on the amount of the bill. For instance, if I order a $5 bowl of chicken noodle soup and my dining companion orders a $15 bowl of lobster bisque and the waitress brings both of them at the same time on the same tray, assuming that we will tip 20% of our bills, why does my companion need to tip $3 and I only tip $1? We're getting the same service. Just wondering.
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Exactly ! That's why I don't tip on the %age of the check/bill.
 

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