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Family Matters:  Tipping  |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 1:24:56 PM
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Tipping is a sore subject for me. My first few years in Corporate America were as a server in different restaurants.
Here's an interesting snippet on waitressing:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388992n&tag=contentMain%3BcontentBody%3Ftag%3Dfacebook
I think servers are grossly underpaid. I saw a post on a friend's wall that was talking about how this girl went into an establishment in Florida and ordered a "Bourbon and cherry coke". When the server asked if Jack Daniels was alright, the girl treated the server VERY rudely, and then didn't tip.
I was amazed. First off, the server doesn't make you your drink. And she simply asked if it was okay-she didn't TELL HER that's how SHE had to take it.
Secondly, this girl BRAGGED about treating the server badly. How awful!
I have a personal rule that I ALWAYS TIP 20% unless the server is outright rude. If they're good at what they do, I tip more.
If the restaurant doesn't seem busy, but your server seems overwhelmed and slow, their section is probably full.
If your food is incorrect, chances are that the cook may have had something to do with it-it's not always the servers fault.
If your drink is wrong, the server didn't make it, the bartender did.
It just irritates me to no end how some people treat others.
Many servers don't even make minimum wage! Here in KY, they make about 2.13 an hour. And that's not even taking into consideration when they have to tip out the bussers, the bartender, and more.
I'm getting off my soapbox, but man, when I saw that post today, I was floored.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 1:41:46 PM
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On the flip side, I've been "served" by some very rude and arrogant people, so no I don't believe tipping should be automatic. If they don't like the pay they receive why do they go into the job in the first place knowing they have to depend on tips? And then knowing they have to depend on tips why are so many waitress/waiters rude or just plan indifferent to their customers? I personally think we should do away with all tipping and pay people a decent wage to begin with. Just as in all professions there are good workers and bad workers and good customers and bad customers.
Audrey
.jpg) Good boy Hobbs! I love and miss you. |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 1:58:42 PM
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Right. Like I said, when servers are rude, that's a completely different scenario.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 2:22:54 PM
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My problem is a too generous DH. He would like to tip upwards of 50%. Needless to say we don't eat out much or have to get the food to go because we just can't afford to eat and tip the way he would like. I carry a tip card with me which has 15, 20, and 25% tips.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Dec 22 2011 : 2:24:11 PM
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I'm typically a 20% tipper....only thing that tics me off just a little is when they make sure my husband's drink is always full and leave me without a refill on my iced tea....they must not know that I really the one paying the bill LOL I tip 20% because I am always so glad to have a hot meal that someone else cooks and someone else cleans up.......
If you can't feed one hundred people, then just feed one. -Mother Teresa
Star - farmgirl sister #1927
Master Food Preserver |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 03:34:05 AM
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LOL FarmDream! 50%?! Wow. That's amazing. I would've loved to be a server in your local area! lol. I always just double the tax and add a couple bucks. :)
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 03:50:21 AM
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I keep one of those tip tabulators in my wallet too.
I sympathize with any wait staff-especially around the holidays. I'm usually the one footing the bill when we go out, so it's generous unless the service has been just super slow . the places we frequent are uaually right on the ball though. And for mixed drinks, if I can taste the alcohol, I tip bigger and make sure the bar tender gets a complement. I may even order a second drink too.
There was a day when we went to a casual Mexican restaurant and I had just come from the post office and had received a ton of those gold dollars. Wanted to get rid of them quickly, so I gave something like a 50% tip too. |
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Joey
True Blue Farmgirl
1868 Posts
Joey
Gulf Coast
FL
USA
1868 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 1:04:14 PM
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My daughter worked as a waitress for awhile until she decided to go back to college (LOL)so I walk in the door thinking 20%-25% and then I think it is up to them to lose it. If you bring my food before you bring my fork, or if I have to ask for an extra napkin more than twice, I drop my tip to 15% or 20%. I never take it out on the server if the problem is the chef or bartender. I agree though, I wish everyone got a decent wage and didn't have to rely on tips. If its a tip for good service it shouldn't be part of your paycheck. Joey
Well behaved women rarely make history. |
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queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 2:34:47 PM
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Tipping does not have to be to the waitstaff. You can tip the chef, bartender, host/hostess. So if you have a rude waiter/waitress, tip anyone but him/her. Just some food for thought.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
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knittinchick
True Blue Farmgirl
1854 Posts
Megan
Wisconsin
1854 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 3:48:12 PM
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Joey, both of my parents pretty much took care of me until I was about two years old on tips, so because of that I always walk in thinking 20% too! When my dad told me how much the hourly wage is of servers, I was so surprised I had to pull my mouth back up. You could be the best server in the world, but if you get a bad tipper, then what're you supposed to do? My Mom told me about the people who would come in on a Friday night for all-you-can eat fish fry (she served at a place that served bar food), and they would order an all you can eat fish fry and a diet coke for each of the people. Say the bill's $23, or somewhere like that, they would give her $25 and tell her that she did a good job, so she could keep the change. I just find that incredibly rude. Especially since they probably took up her table for longer than usual because it was all you can eat, so instead of my Mom being able to turn the table once or twice and get more tips, she would get $2 in tips.
Megan, I do agree that usually servers take the brunt for something that was not even their fault.
God's and Holiday's Blessings,
Megan
At heart, I am both a sassy city girl and a down-home country gal.
The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Dec 23 2011 : 11:27:36 PM
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We also tip as much as we can afford, and we bring that into the equation of if we can eat there or not (in the budget). Sometimes I think of going to Denny's to save money and my husband will say what about tip.....ok you're right not as cheap any more.
When we lived in NYC we tipped around 50%. Now in Kansas cause of our finances we tip around 20 to 25 percent. I don't carry one of those cards, I just do 2 to 2.50 per a ten dollars that the meal is and round up to the nearest 10.
The thing I don't think though is fair any more, is more and more places have tip pooling, where every one has to put their tip in one jar and then split it between all the waiters, and not every one is as good as the other, and we also like to tip upon service-better service more tip. Well not all the waiters are very good, and then they still get part of the good tip! I don't think that's fair.
My husband and I were also pretty upset once at Applebee's policy. We were there one night when a waitress was clearly upset and in tears. And we asked her what was wrong, and a whole table had spent a LOT of time there and ran up a enourmous bill, and then ran out with out paying the check. And Applebee's policy is to charge their waiter for that! She said she was barely making it as it was, etc, we spoke to the manager about how we didn't like that policy and it may effect us eating there again if that policy continued. And we also tipped her extra extra. But, still we wanted to cry with her. How was that her fault? She even tried to find the people in the parking lot and stuff and couldn't. (We seen her run outside when she noticed they were gone). Any way.... that was extra annoying. I would think a big restaurant could take the hit of a eat and run then a waitress, especially considering that they would only be out the cost of the food and not the up charge to make profit....a waitress having to pay the whole thing, I just didn't think was fair at all. (not that I think a restaurant should have to eat the loss either, just saying. Doesn't seem like the right person is being punished by this!).
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Dec 24 2011 : 09:51:54 AM
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That is an awful policy. I hope they've nixed that. When it's busy in your section, it's hard enough to keep everyone happy, let alone have to "police" your section for runners. That's irritating!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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Emily Anna
True Blue Farmgirl
863 Posts
Emily
Fort Atkinson
WI
USA
863 Posts |
Posted - Dec 24 2011 : 10:08:20 PM
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Heather, that is so disheartning. I remember once when I was a kid my family and I went out to eat at a Friday night fish fry. The waitress was upset so my dad asked her what was wrong. She told us that a party of 10 to 12 people came in. They were rude and the kids were running around and making a mess on the floor with their food. After they had left, the waitress went to clear the table and saw a $20 bill. Back then that was a good tip. She was happy to at least see they tipped well, but when she opened up bill she saw that it wasn't money. The one side looked like a $20 bill, but the other side was an advertisement for some business or something. I can't believe how heartless some people are.
I feel like i'm a pretty good tipper.....i've actually been told by several people that I tip too well. I think it's absurd that waitresses get paid as little as they do. They work hard and their jobs are demanding. I think it stinks that these companies can get away with paying so little. Not only that, but after we spend a good amount of money on food, we're also expected to basically make up for the wages that the employer doesn't pay. I think whatever is tipped should be a little extra somethin, somethin for them for doing a good job....not something that makes or breaks their wages.
I hate it when people say, "if they don't like it, they can get a different job." That's not the point. The point is these companies are getting away with paying squat. It's not right, end of story!
As far as Applebees.....sickening. They could swing what they lost much easier than a waitress they hardly pay to begin with.
Emily |
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Emily Anna
True Blue Farmgirl
863 Posts
Emily
Fort Atkinson
WI
USA
863 Posts |
Posted - Dec 24 2011 : 10:10:21 PM
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| Oh, and Megan, why someone would brag about being a jerk to another human being for something that wasn't their fault is beyond me. Says a lot for their character, or how ignorant they are. Saddens me....... |
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FarmDream
True Blue Farmgirl
1085 Posts
Julie
TX
USA
1085 Posts |
Posted - Dec 27 2011 : 2:37:48 PM
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The Applebees in our town closed. It's not hard to see why. We make our eating decisions the same as Heather. We think about the tip when deciding where to eat and how much the ENTIRE bill will cost us. I never tip less than $5. Unless, and this is pretty drastic, the waiter/waitress is down right lousy. I've had waitresses who play with my daughter and make us feel right at home but I've also had a waiter condescend to me and treat my husband king. HE obviously didn't know who carries the wallet in this family. I've also had a waitress outright flirt with my husband and ignore me. Again, my husband doesn't manage the money. I also have a mental tip calculator that starts decreasing for outright rudeness. On the whole I have received great service many, many more times than bad service.
~FarmDream is Farmgirl Sister #3069
Live Today, Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow
http://naturaljulie.etsy.com
http://julie-rants.blogspot.com |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2012 : 8:21:08 PM
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My mom raised us on "tips" as a waitress, and most of those waitresses are single moms without college degrees doing the best they can to feed and clothe their kids on tips. Olive Garden and Red Lobster pay their servers $3 less than minimum wage. Normally it evens out, but your server probably spent more on gas to get there than she earned on her wages.
We like to eat out on tues/wed/and thurs if we get to choose. Those are typically slow days and the servers and managers treat us like royalty with free samples, substitutions, off menu specials...
Not only do we tip, when we have fabulous service, we rave to the shift manager about it, sometimes we even contact corporate. Not only is that in store recognition to make a server feel good about themselves, corporate letters often means they get a bonus of some kind, and they can use those when they ask for raises, better shifts, or try to move into management. If you ever feel bad about not being able to tip, that kind of compliment is BETTER than 5 or 10 bucks.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Family Matters: Tipping |
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Tipping
