It's my job. You should pay me.

This topic was created in the Food & Drink forum by a_perfect_pisces on Thursday, July 16, 2009 and has 32 replies.
I'm a server at a seafood and grill. We offer coupons to help support our customers. But I feel that our customers don't support the servers. I work for my tips, I've don't this for over 20 years and consider myself a good server. I have many customers that ask for me personally and I had one tell me just yesterday that I'm a great waitress and that I should be cloned. But that's beside the point. My point is this. I have chosen waitressing as my means to make my living. I wish that customers would pay me what I'm worth. I have had customers come in pay 175.00 for a meal but instead of leaving me 17 percent which is what the law says I can receive they leave me 10 percent. I know for a fact that at their place of employment if they didn't get what they are worth they would have a fit. It's not fair I can't go to them and say hey if everything was perfect why didn't you give me what I'm worth. Just putting this out there let me know your thoughts.
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I know, i feel sorry for waiters/waitress that has to get the short end of the stick.
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Oh and I cannot stand the phrase "sauce on the side" why do people do that. LoL.
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Honestly I make over 600.00 a week I wouldn't want to get out. Just want to be paid what I'm worth.
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To play the devil's advocate, sure tips are nice, but then again, they should never be expected or relied upon. It's the employer that should pay the decent wage in the first place for superior service, years of loyalty and reliability, not the actual customer who is (already) paying for their meal with their own hard-earned money. It's your boss that should support you first and foremost, the customer is already buying a service and paying for it. They should never feel guilty to not tip either, especially in this economy where every cent counts for everyone.
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customers dont go to restaurants in an effort to support the servers...they're just hungry lol.

however, i do believe that if you can't afford to leave a reasonable tip then you shouldn't be eating at the place to begin with
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There are (tons) of other low-paying jobs out there that don't pay well, and nobody tips them AT ALL. If you tip one service, then you should tip them all to be fair. And yes, it is up to the employer to pay fair wages, not the customer who's already paying for their meal, or who may already work at their own job and not get tipped themselves.
Waiter/waitressing is not the only service industry, but the one that does get tips THE MOST and most consistently out of most. I know many service people who never get tipped, but they like what they do and will still do their best for the customer.
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seems as though everyone wants a tip...from the hair salon...to the nail shop....to restaurants.....i do tip....but not 10% because thats the law....
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Wow!!!!! Honestly, there are some really strong opinions about this. Mystic and sb need to catch a clue about the food service industry. I don't think they realize, but if the company I work for had to pay me let's just say 12.00 an hour that would mean that cheeseburger you just ate would cost you about 60.00. I don't mind serving you a burger for 60.00 if you can't afford to tip me the 17% on something that should cost you about 15.00. Tasha thanks for having a logical sense. But you already know, that until they get a job that isn't paying them what they are worth, they will play the other side just for the sake of it.
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Giving people tips are the law now?! Maybe I should stay in Germany where the restaurant actually pays their waiters/waitress enough money that they don't need tips.
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Also, if you hate being a server, get another job. Stop complaining, and take control of your life.
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She's speaking about getting her due as a server. Having been in the restaurant field since the age of 15 and done every job and then some I understand totally where a_perfect_pisces is coming from. You bust your rear end waiting tables, and have to deal with some real boils on the butt of humanity daily, and SMILE while you do it. People have no issue dumping a good amount of money on a meal, but seem to fall quite short in the tip. My personal fave are the large tables with children.
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I never feel pressured into tipping, though i may with *exceptional* service and a good attitude. If you're just blindly tipping everyone, this sends the wrong message, since to me tipping is giving positive feedback for good/great work, not just because. There are so* many other lower paying service-type jobs who should be equally be acknowledged and tipped, but are not. That is my crux. Hard work is hard work.. (also, i DO believe it IS up to the employer to have some pride in his establishment, since to me tipping is almost like begging, and reminds me of *cheap bosses.)
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..anyway, i do agree, liking your job first is the best policy, so any tipping will just be an added bonus, not such a neccessity.
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I don't understand this whole tipping business! We don't really have that where I come from. You pay for your food and everything is taken care of, I mean isn't that easier on everyone, really? I once went one of those restaurants where you were expected to tip, and I felt uncomfortable throughout the whole evening. Having said that I'm generous at heart so I tipped big time. But I'm not going back. Makes me nervous.
I would probably have a hard time dining in the US, huh?
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Not at all enfant. You'd be a guest at the meal and they could handle the tip.
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Posted by Shaka_laka_boomboom
The reasoning behind "morally obligatory" tipping is pretty lame, it encourages a culture of restaurant/cafe bosses paying shitty salaries to their waiters, Im sorry but Im not gonna pay for what people should be getting from their own bosses, Im not gonna sponsor some greedy bastards (the bosses). Waiters are paid to offer a service, I go to a restaurant to get my meal because Im fucking hungry, thats how I see it, a restaurant should pay their own employees with dignity.


amen, Shaka ..what i've been saying all along, couldn't agree more. Wish you were here earlier in this thread.
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Posted by Chance11
i always tip big..10 dollars for $ 6 dollar drinks where i go to see live music (if the service is prompt)..i usually give the coat check girl a 20 especially when i notice she barely has that much from all the coats. at a restaurant, always at least 20% unless the service is awful..usually 30% if the person was prompt and pleasant. ppl have to make a living. It makes you feel good, them feel good, and the thing ppl don't realize about generosity..is that it all comes back to you in time.



Totally agree! I am the same way. I always tip 30% , unless the service was horrible, and even then I'll still tip 20% . I could never leave a restaurant tipping anything under 20% .

If you don't feel the need to tip, DON'T DINE OUT AND EXPECT TO BE WAITED ON! Quite simple. Buy your food from the market and cook and serve it yourself.
Here in America, its a known fact that waiters depend on their tips. If you have that much issue with the owners not paying them enough, DON'T SUPPORT THEM by dining there. Don't make the servers suffer, because you are so arrogant to expect the price of food to INCLUDE being waited on hand and foot. Give me a break. That's just cheap and quite tacky, in my opinion. You're paying the restaurant for the food, and the waiter for the service.
I judge people by how well they tip lol It is such a turn off to dine with greedy bastards who have no problem shelling out lots of money for food and drinks, only to suddenly be cheap when it comes to thanking the waiter for the service they provided your greedy ass! Ugh.
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"The reasoning behind "morally obligatory" tipping is pretty lame, it encourages a culture of restaurant/cafe bosses paying shitty salaries to their waiters, Im sorry but Im not gonna pay for what people should be getting from their own bosses, Im not gonna sponsor some greedy bastards (the bosses)."


It does no such thing! If you are so concerned about not encouraging a culture of greedy bosses, how about YOU stop DINING OUT.
But no, you wouldn't do that, you'd rather be a cheapskate and make the servers suffer instead of the ones who should..THE OWNERS.

This whole "its not my responsibility to pay for their salaries" argument is such bullshit! Its a cop out for being cheap. You don't want to pay their salaries, fine, but don't expect to be waited on then.

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I think this is 'cross the pond' issue here. Overseas they get paid a living wage, hence the non-tipping. Here in the States we get about zip for it and must have the tips.
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I really don't get the cultural double-standard myself (it HAS made bosses lazy and dependent on double-dipping the clients pocket, imo). Most every job offers some type of service, agreed. Work is work, and we ALL work hard for our money, bottom line. Anyway, the wait-staff here are paid pretty decent too. So tip or no tip, the service and smiles ARE still there, as they should be. Being 'EXPECTED' to tip as soon as you walk in the door, is a BIG turn-off. I believe we live in a democracy of freedom and what we all do with our hard-earned money should be respected, either way.
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Perhaps it would help if a dinner scenario were 'acted out', as it were. If my foggy memory serves even the level of service differs. I am sure an American waiter or waitress would get on a Europeans nerves. They'd feel like they weren't left to their meal in peace without someone up their nose.
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has anyone seen Waiting?
i think you're better off tipping before the meal that way you're more likely to insure that the only thing in your food is food.
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I used to be a server. But I think servers in general take tipping for granted....you ARE getting paid for your job - minimum wage. And if you treat your job like a minimum wage job then that's what you deserve to get paid. Tips are called a gratuity for a reason. It really bothers me when I get crappy service at a restauruant where you're expected to tip. It bothers me even more because it generally only happens when I dine alone. Servers assume your bill will be small and that you're not going to tip much. But I've tipped upwards of 50% on bills and I usually like to order a couple things anyway because I like variety. I almost always tip though even when the service isn't great - I only don't tip when it's REALLY bad. But I think servers should realize that tipping is NOT required and if they want a tip they need to do a job that earns it. Don't expect that writing down what someone ordered and then giving them the bill is worth a tip - the people at the counter at mcdonald's do at least that much!
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Posted by ~mystic_fish
To play the devil's advocate, sure tips are nice, but then again, they should never be expected or relied upon. It's the employer that should pay the decent wage in the first place for superior service, years of loyalty and reliability, not the actual customer who is (already) paying for their meal with their own hard-earned money. It's your boss that should support you first and foremost, the customer is already buying a service and paying for it. They should never feel guilty to not tip either, especially in this economy where every cent counts for everyone.

mystic hAVE U THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOUVE SAID????obviously you have never worked in the food service industry or know of anyone that is in the field either.....If restaurants and bars were to implement the employer to pay the "decent wage" as you put it then the price for an item on the menue would jump up to an extra 15-20 % more. Restaurants are able to keep the prices reasonable due to the fact that they pay the servers only on average of 2.15 per hour ..(in my restaurant I rely soley on my tips with no hourly wage at all) leaving it up to the customer to compensate the server for there service. in other words, you have two choices tip your server for their server duties or pay an extra $ 3- $ 5 or more for the food so the employers can pay servers "decent wages". In this economy where every cent counts then it sounds like you should be shopping at the grocery store and cooking your own meals and cleaning up yourself.If the economy is so bad for you then economically its much more feaseable to buy and cook your own food.If you dont want to have guilt trips about not tipping or being a cheap b*****d then eat at mc donalds. Heres a little edumacation on servers ......go to this site called Thebitchywaiter...
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Posted by Chance11
i always tip big..10 dollars for $ 6 dollar drinks where i go to see live music (if the service is prompt)..i usually give the coat check girl a 20 especially when i notice she barely has that much from all the coats. at a restaurant, always at least 20% unless the service is awful..usually 30% if the person was prompt and pleasant. ppl have to make a living. It makes you feel good, them feel good, and the thing ppl don't realize about generosity..is that it all comes back to you in time.

lol hey Chance y dontcha come and c me sumtime..... Im down in new orleans and I love the big tippers ... Ill make your drink the biggest and baddest of all the land ....oh and dont worry cause the ones that are shitty tippers should be wary of showing up at the same place twice cause us servers remember u and who knows what goes on back in the kitchen.. u eva seen the movie WAITING????
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Posted by tubbyscubby
has anyone seen Waiting?
i think you're better off tipping before the meal that way you're more likely to insure that the only thing in your food is food.

EXZACTLY >>>>>> LOL
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Posted by Shaka_laka_boomboom
Youre an idiot, but an understandable one since you probably think tipping is morally obligatory/normal practice in other countries than the U.S. It is not here in Europe and Im sure you know the world is bigger than the U.S.
Instead use all of that energy youre showing on trying to convince your own governnment of not making slaves out of waiters in the U.S. Just because the system has "always been like that" doesnt make it right.
There is something fundamentally wrong about being dependant on tipping for something that is supposed to be covered by your own boss.

I work as a bartnder/server in the french quarter ... when we have foreigners come to dine in our restaurant we automatically add an automatic gratutity of 18% to the bill. the clencher is the foreigners have the funds to take vacations and stay in grand hotels and are obviously educated on our tipping procedures here in America yet still try to pull the "Im a foreigner so I can tipp shitty" move.. lol we here in the french quarter from owners to servers dont let yall folks with the accents get away with it ..
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In my country, 2.15 per hour would be so* against our laws and employment standards. I've known many wait staff and they do quite well with or without tips, and food prices are what they've always been. So i guess our countries have different values when it comes to the labour industry. A person can only truly speak from their own (countries) perspective, which was my perspective all along. Personally, i've yet to experience bitchy wait-staff, is that an american thing, seriously? A customer should never put up with it and neither should the employer. I recently talked to a waitress who said she could "never" work when she is grumpy, because she would never want to put that on her customers, which she values & treats all the same. Just very glad i live where i live, that i DO know for sure.
I'm fine if people want to leave tips for (good service), but i don't condone 'automatic entitlement' or poor attitudes.
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My thoughts? Welcome to the fantastic world of food service!
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Posted by ~mystic_fish
In my country, 2.15 per hour would be so* against our laws and employment standards. I've known many wait staff and they do quite well with or without tips, and food prices are what they've always been. So i guess our countries have different values when it comes to the labour industry. A person can only truly speak from their own (countries) perspective, which was my perspective all along. Personally, i've yet to experience bitchy wait-staff, is that an american thing, seriously? A customer should never put up with it and neither should the employer. I recently talked to a waitress who said she could "never" work when she is grumpy, because she would never want to put that on her customers, which she values & treats all the same. Just very glad i live where i live, that i DO know for sure.
I'm fine if people want to leave tips for (good service), but i don't condone 'automatic entitlement' or poor attitudes.


hence is why they call it "tipping". you get a nice tip if the service rocks. if you suck, you get a sucky tip if one at all. i've been dining out all my life and have experienced them all. the reason why waitpersons don't automatically receive a technically livable wage is because they are partly salespeople... of selling themselves to their customers. think of the tips as commission. i know many baristas that make more money than i do because they get mad tips. people need their caffeine and sugar pushers! of course, no matter how great you are, there are still gonna be douchebags out there who aren't going to tip well or at all. it's not right but it happens.
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