What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel

i have worked in the restrauant buss since 16 so for 6 years now and i have seen everything from horrible servers to excellent and bad tippers to great tippers so i just wanted to give my advice to both servers and tippers. first and formost we pay our bills with our tips and if you think leaving a bad tip but telling your server that they were excellent will make up for that lost tip your wrong, we cant tell our landlord that we got a great comment and that it should go to rent. usuelly depending on where you live, my self in the state of Washington where living is high priced, you dont get a pay check and if you do, it barelly covers gas. so that tip that you leave on the table goes towards rent, day care, the dr bill because most companies dont have health benifits, car payment, etc. so please be kind and leave a good tip. i critique every server i get and even if there bad i leave 15% becuase you dont know if there new or if they just got sat 3 tables at once or if they have been there 2 weeks straight and had 12 hour days. and if they do better, then i tip up to 30% depending on where your eating. if you dont have the extra money for a 20% tip then eat at a fast food place where you dont have to tip and they most of the time get benifits. now along the lines of being a server you need to be nice to each and every table you go up to wether it be a table of 12 high school girls or a table of 2 older couples, doesnt matter just act the same becuase all of your tables watch what your doing at your other table and if they think that your treating them differently then they will either tip bad or complain. always talk to the kids never pretend that there not there. be prompt on refills and other things such as condoments and extra items. never talk about your tables around the corner more then likely they can hear you and its just plain rude. if you cant get to your table right away just stop by and say hi and tell them you will be right back or get another server to start them off. always bring water more then likely there going to ask for it as soon as you get back to the table so dont make two trips and do it ahead of time. always ask if they are done with something rather then taking it from the table. never hand the bill to one person just put it in the middle even if they tell you that you will lose your tip if you dont hand it to them. keep coffee warm even if you just refilled it 5 minutes ago and they have not touched it. never play with your hair, earings, face anything that is dirty in the sight of the guest and then wash your hands. it is commen for people to carry trays on there shoulders this is better for weight and also at some places (olive garden) required, but please wear your hair up or turn your neck so that your hair is not in it. there are many other things but it will take for ever to go through them. so a few more things for customers. if you cant speak english we cant understand you dont get made at us we speak english in america and its not mandetory to know all of the different languages so please bring an interpretur or be as clear as possible. DONT USE YOUR CELL PHONE!!!!!!! it is the most annoying thing in the world to come up to the table and some person be on there cell phone, so we walk away because we dont want to interupt and be rude and then we come back later and guess what you tell us your in a hurry and are very demanding well its not our falt you were on your phone. when we come to the table at most places we have to say a little intro wether it be we have a new burger or would you like to try our wine or we have a few specials, but we are told to say this stuff and if a manager walks by and we arnt heard saying this then we can get in trouble so please just let us say it and usuelly your question that your asking us when you interupt us is in our little intro. and if you need a water right away please waite 30 seconds and just let us finish. please look around you and see what else your server is doing if she is at 5 different tables or 3 at some places then she/he is more then likely busey but if she is sitting around talking to friends then you can be demanding. some places they even triple seat you which may not seem like a lot but it is when you get 3 tables of 4 or more people and you have to get drinks, orders and food out for all three tables at the same time so please be patient if you are in a hurry to see a movie or get back to work becuase your on lunch break go some place that you dont have to sit down to eat or better yet if your going to sit and complain about how slow the service is stay home and cook. if you sit and eat but then sit for another 15 minites to 6 hours (have seen it done) then tip on how much that server would have made if your lazy butt would have gone to a coffee shop and talked or gone home. with you taking up that table they cant make any money off of it now and they just lost 5-30$ because of it. please dont tell me how to do my job, i dont come to your office and tell you how to do your job so please dont do it at my job. i was hired for a reason and they also taught me how to serve for there perticular restauant so please leave you comments to your self. any other questions just ask.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

I totally agree. People can be so cheap, and so rude. I hate it when people use the excuse "Well it isn't my job to pay your bills, your restaurant should pay you more." Well guess what, you leaving me a bad tip and thinking that is not going to get me any more money from my restaurant buddy. Get real, and get a little generous for cripes sake.

Oh and 20% is not a "very good tipper", that's average.

And you know what else is annoying? When people interrupt me when I go up to the table and introduce myself. "Water. With lemon." Hey. Would you like it if I interrupted you? No, so learn some manners already.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

that isnt a question, thats a book of special interest... anyway, i believe you tip what the server or waitress is worth... if they did good then tip excellent if they did less than expexted, still, give them a tip and politely tell them what didnt impress you... they will be glad you tipped and maybe just try to work their issues out.. dont be rude thats how spit gets in your food.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

Wouldn't it great if "union213", a myspace group, were trying to get members to add themselves, so that medical benefits could be offered industry wide, not restaurant to restaurant? Just by adding as a friend, you let your vote count to gain industry-wide pay ircrease, not $2.13 per hr. Which pays taxes, and never get a paycheck. And when gas goes up, tips. Go down to union213 as a group at myspace, and add as a friend.

union213

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

I think the lack of correlation between the tip and quality service has led to a deterioration of service in general. As it presently stands, the only determining factor regarding tip is the individual doing the tipping.

I fully agree with you that if you cannot afford a 20% tip, then you should not go to a nice restaurant. However, if you cannot deliver competent service, speak knowedgably about the food, and be nice to me, you should be washing dishes.

I am more than fair to those who wait on me. I don't send dishes back to the kitchen (I will send back wine). I generally order the pricier dishes on menu, and I make every allowance for being busy etc...

However, there is no excuse for a server who cannot do his or her job. If they are new to the job, then they can look forward to better tipping in the future. If they suck, then I want them in the kitchen.

A tip is a gratuity, not a civil right. I have two pet peeves, people who do not know how to behave at restaurants, and people who don't know how to work at them.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

bad night, eh? some decent comments wrt service but why not expand your horizons and get a job at either a better restaurant or in a different field? I worked in that field for 14 years and finally had enough. I went back to school and am now a software engineer.

The choice is yours.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

Being a server is a hard job. So are a lot of other jobs.

Unfortunately for the server, they are the public face for that experience - so they receive the brunt of any frustration about the quality of the meal, the cleanliness of the restroom, and the level of the service. The customer is sending a message, and the message is not necessarily about the individual. What do you choose to do abotu the message?

In every job there are times when you "take one for the team" - times where your good work gets overlooked because of a bad overall result. You can sulk about your personal injustice, or you can ask yourself what you can do to make it better the next time. Check the bathroom every half hour or so, just for a second, and make sure that there is no runnign water and that there is TP. Tell your partners in the kitchen when you notice something not done right. Treat the customer like it is your personal restaurant, like you are the owner, and in the long run you will be ahead.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

Did you have a bad day in Washington?

If I came into a restaurant and you were serving me, I would leave.

It sounds like maybe you've had enough in this business and should find something less stressful. I really mean that.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

This was very informative. I agree with you if you don't have enough to give a nice tip eat at a fast food restaurant. And you're right how do we know if it was the server's first day or the server had worked two weeks straight. But servers know that they have to be on top of it if they are to get a good tip. There are a lot of people that go to restaurants without the slightest consideration for the plight of servers that don't even get minimum wage and are at the "mercy" of tips. This is a tough business and I support you 100%. Now I just have to convince my husband. He's coming around thought, our nephew is a server in the restaurant business and has stressed the tip to us. Thank you for sharing your views.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

thank you so much. i love you. i have worked only 1 year as a waitress and i have had tables of 9 leave zip. i had a 3 hour b-day party in my entire section for all of dinnertime,17 adults,4 children-left nothing. this morning a school came in with 24 kids 6 adults. $6. seriously, i wish they wouldve taken their food to the school and cleaned up their own 30 party mess. i need a better job so bad!!! and you are right about getting 3 or 4 tables at a time, it's a little tough, and some people are really nasty about it.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

I understand exactly where you are coming from. I have been serving at a restaurant for over three years. I despise cheap people that walk in and expect to receive good service without tipping. At certain restaurants, it is required to tip out the chefs, the food runners, the bussers, and even the bartenders. The 15% tips that people leave are only enough to tip the others. Therefore leaving a small amount left for servers to take home. Many people from different countries and cultures do not understand this concept. In fact the more they eat, the more they have to tip. The average wage that servers have is around 3.00 to 5.00 dollars an hour. Do you think that is enough to support a daily living? Taxes are placed heavily on our paychecks, leaving us very little to live on. Therefore, it is our tips that support our living.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

I can honestly say that I am a very good tipper (I usually tip about 20%)

That being said, I think that it is ridiculous that when I am paying $22 for a plate of pasta and $100 for a bottle of so-so wine, that the restaurant owners make the customer responsible for making sure that the wait staff can pay their rent. (After paying $6 for a cup of coffee in Starbucks, don't you find the tip jar a little much?)

They should be paying you a decent wage so at the end of the day, a tip is just a little "bonus" for having given me service that is above and beyond.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

Wow, you really hit the industry dead on! I have worked in the kitchen at restaurants as food prep, food expoditor and also was a "To Go" specialist and a server. It's funny how people complain about servers in general and that the job is "so easy" etc etc. It is one of the most demanding and demeaning jobs. Being a waitress made me hate people for a long time, seriously. I didn't realize how awful people can treat people before then. Customers can be rude I just want to reach across the table and slap them sometimes! They can be rude for no reason. And they lie! I don't know how many times a customer will order an item, and I would write it down, and when the food came out they would say it wasn't what they ordered! WTF?! It's right here in my book b*tch didn't you see me write it down and I even repeated it back to you?!?! God people are always out to get free food it is so pathetic. And if the kitchen makes a mistake on their food, like cooks their steak wrong or something, the customers start acting all pissed and then leave you a crappy tip. Even though OBVIOUSLY I'm not the one that cooked the steak I get punised for it. I could go on and on about how being a server is the worst job ever because you have to deal with idiot customers. They honestly are the worst customers than any other biz. They think they own you because you are "waiting" on them. I'm glad I got out of the biz a long time ago.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

I used to be a waitress myself, it's a stressful job with little reward.

With that said, I will not tip a server who is rude to me...or is obviously fooling around instead of providing me good service. If the server isn't that great, but I see that he or she is really trying, I'll leave the standard amount.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

First of all, if you carry that attitude to work with you, that could explain the bad tippers. I've worked as a waitress for a few years and know that attitude and personality have a lot to do with the tips you get. And, I also believe that even those who can't afford to leave a large tip should still be able to go out, sit down and have a nice dinner served to them. I've seen plenty of older couples come in who live on a social security income, etc... They may only get out to a restaurant once every month or two and their budget just doesn't allow for a 20 or 30% tip. Should they be told that even though they worked their butts off for 30 years so they could retire and TRY to enjoy the years that they have left, that they just don't deserve your service because they can't afford a large tip? Would you really tell your grandparents that they should be at the drive-thru picking up dollar burgers instead...?

If I can't make enough money to pay my bills then it's time to look for another job.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

That is not a question, it's a rant, and a very poorly written one at that. You had a lot of good points and things to say, but you did ti in such a way that it's very difficult to understand.

New paragraphs start like this. You begin a new paragraph when you begin a new thought. You are 22 years old, and are from the United States. Please get a grasp on our written language.

I do have to agree about the cell phone thing though. I'm not a waitress, but I do a lot of dining out, and I've seen customers on their cell phones for 25 minutes act rude to their waiter/waitress for not getting their order sooner.

As a final note, you should see the movie "Waiting". It's very good and I know you'll enjoy it.

What do you think about tipping servers? i have been in the indutry for 6 years and i put how i feel how do u?

I do not think that it is the responsibility of customers to pay the bills of waiters. It is the responsibility of the restaurant owner. I think that waiters should fight for getting a higher salary from the employer not the customer. I am a teacher, when I was not happy about my income i went to the employer not to the students expecting them to pay me to make up for an unsatisfactory income from my employer. Waiters should get together to make a change and where would restaurants be without waiters, so enough with management greed for making more money and pay waiters their due wages.