after poor service do you still tip good ???

giggles7706

If the service is bad, I tip low and there have been times where I haven't tipped at all. I'm not going to tip you if you lollygag and stand around playing on your phone instead of getting the dirty plates, refilling my water, or even taking the time to give me my check when it's pretty obvious I'm done. I work pretty darn hard for my money and I expect them to work for theirs as well.

kyle4jem

When I was in the US I had heard it was customary to tip ca. 20% as the waiting staff's wages would barely cover their taxes and insurance, so that would explain why staff are usually more attentive and courteous in the US.

In the UK, you normally leave a 10% tip on food (but not booze unless it's only a beer or a coke) if the service was good. If it was poor then I'd leave nowt. Most restaurants factor in a 10% service charge (which some state as being optional, but you would have to argue the toss with the cashier or manager to have it removed, I guess).

Waiting staff in the UK are not well paid, but often they are not allowed to keep their tips and these have to be shared equally amongst all staff, which perhaps is not fair and may also be why some establishments have mediocre service.

Generally, as long as we've had a good meal and enjoyed ourselves we'll leave a tip.

TheRoadDog

After hearing all the people from countries other than the U.S that say they don't tip, I'm getting with the program. No more tipping for me. I want to be Global.

Foxypoo61287

As a server myself, I would like the person to tell me directly something was not to their liking. I tip 20% if they are a good server, if the food was wrong I'd let her know, If I can't get the servers attention, I get another waitstaff's attention and tell them in such a way " I know your not my server, but I can't seem to locate him/her, our food is incorrect, or I need a refill" etc. I'm not a crazy server, and I know sometimes you get caught up in running food, or talking to another table. I've given perfectly great service & gotten 10%. It sucks. I hate being anal about service, but I critique everything the server does because I am one. But I always over tip because I know getting that extra $$ means something, it means that I did my job right, even better. Sometimes if I have horrible service I leave between 10% & 15%. But if its decent, then 20. Its not hard to wait tables.

linda1243

I still tip well. A lot of the time your server shares their tips with the bartender, busboys and other wait staff. i don't think it is fair to punish the lot because your server is a flake. I liked your approach where you still tipped like normal but told her that her service was unsatisfactory.

dalgal26

After hearing all the people from countries other than the U.S that say they don't tip, I'm getting with the program. No more tipping for me. I want to be Global.

LOL! :flowerforyou:

Tips for me are based on service. Bad service, low tip.:grumble: Good service, good tip. :happy: Bad attitude, NO TIP!:mad:

Also, I don't tip at buffets......why? I get my own food, drink and silverware. In that case, the busboy should be tipped. And I have seeked him/her out to tip them. Oh, and we try to keep a clean table to make his/her job easier. :flowerforyou:

Foxypoo61287

I've been a waitress and been a manager at a restaurant which had waitstaff, so I say this with all the sincerity and respect one can give to those who work in such positions: tips should be based on the quality of the service that the one serving gives. Nothing else. Not based on the fact that most servers make less than minimum wage on their base salary. (I know how much a server can average in tips - I do NOT pity you!) Not based on the quality of food. Not based on how much money I have - after all if I'm eating out, I should be responsible enough to budget a halfway decent tip for services rendered. However, those services should be rendered.

Being a server is not about bringing people food and then leaving them to eat while you text message someone or chat with your co-workers, it's about providing an entertaining and comfortable dining experience to the customer. From the moment a server says hello to the customer they should feel at ease and know that this person genuinely wants to make them happy. Not feel like they have to flag them down just to get a refill! If I wanted to get my own food and serve myself I could easily just go to a restaurant that doesn't have servers.

I'll admit that because of my past experience I can be a harsh critic. I'll even feel insulted if the server doesn't try to up-sell me! (What, do you think I don't have the money for a dessert? Maybe I wanted one when I came in...) Then again, I always try to be fair and wear my "manager glasses" when judging a server. If they are seriously new to the job it is often easy to spot early on and I'll often make notes and then give them suggestions on how to improve their service with a good tip for effort. (I'll even come back later and if they have improved I give a "bonus" tip as well as praise.) If the server is just plain negligent, however, I'll speak with the manager directly - by that point I'm usually too upset to even talk to the server anyway.

On the flip side, I've left amazing tips for amazing service, too. 30% tip anyone? Treat me well, I'll treat you well. That's how it works.

Is it wrong to talk to the server directly about your concerns? No, so long as you're polite and fair there is nothing wrong with letting them know how you feel. Honestly, if someone cries anytime another person says they did a bad job they should probably NOT be a server. You have to be able to roll with the punches in that kind of job as you deal with a lot of different people. (Some people are just generally unhappy no matter what and they eat at restaurants, too.) Don't take it personally if the server gets upset at your comments. However, if it's a severe problem - tell the management. They need to know and can't watch their servers all the time. Likewise, if the server does well - tell the management!

I agree with the upselling. I upsell EVERY CHANCE I GET! More $$ for the check more $$ in m y pocket. I recently went to a cracker barrel, the serve was new about a month into her job, and I REALLY wanted the coconut cream pie, I only order dessert if they ask, well she didn't ask. I got a steak and some other side dish. When she brought the check she didn't ask much, just kind of dropped it up. When she came back to get the $$ for the bill I asked her how new she was. I told her " You know if you would have suggested dessert I would have gotten it." I also told her I would have gotten sauteed m/o too on my steak, or even a salad. Even if it is more money to add on. If at anytime a serve asks if I want to add such and such, I normally add it. But that's me.

Alicia_Monique

I never tip less than 20%, ever. Maybe because I was, at one point, a waitress?

I was a waiter back in the day. What does that have to do with anything??

If you really were a server, you wouldn't say you don't tip at all. Unless you waited tables at like Frisch's or something.

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I never leave less than 20% no matter what. I've had days where I come to work and I'm crying in the back before I even get my first table. I think it's just fine that you told her that her service was sub-par, she was probably just super embarrassed, I would probably be embarrassed and cry, too. Now she knows that you expect much more, and she should start delivering. And, if she thinks one person telling her that her service was lacking is going to be the worst thing that happens to her when she waits tables she is seriously delusional.

cookierinthia

I agree and I tipped very well because I used to be a server and I know how people can be. I do, however, leave a note on the receipt if the service was bad and it if was awesome, I leave a note and ask to speak to the manager and pass on my praise. You were right to pull her to the side. No way to tell if something else was going on with her, but I believe that you did the right thing. I believe in the reaping and sowing process, just because your server performed poorly doesn't mean that you don't leave them a tip or leave them a small tip.

I never tip less than 20%, ever. Maybe because I was, at one point, a waitress?

TrailRunner61

it isn't my fault they work there for crap pay and they consider tips part of their hourly income. and if that's the case, do the job well. if you do an awful job, why would I reward you with anything extra, out of my bank account?

First of all, not everyone can GET a job that doesn't have crappy pay! Trust me, they'd rather be making more doing anything else.

Also, apparently you don't know that a lot of restaurants only pay $3.00 an hour and the rest of their 'wages' are tips and that they have to include 10% of sales as their wages whether they get the 10% or not! Food service companies are allowed to do this. Applebees is one of them and my kids all worked there while going to college. I'm proud of them for working to help pay for school, etc. I suppose you never had to work for minimum wage or less huh? You're lucky.

Foxypoo61287

I still tip well. A lot of the time your server shares their tips with the bartender, busboys and other wait staff. i don't think it is fair to punish the lot because your server is a flake. I liked your approach where you still tipped like normal but told her that her service was unsatisfactory.

At my job, you have to tip the bar tender, they get their OWN customers, but they don't share their tips with us, and even if we have ZERO sales in alcohol, we still have to tip them 1% of our sales. I think it's bogus, And we have to share with the hostess too. Fail there too. They should get paid Min wage, not the $4.67 we get. They shouldn't get tipped out. Bussers & food runners should get the tip out.

aa1440

Good service, good tip.
Poor service, no tip.

StarryEyed500

Bad service? I don't tip.

Tips are earned...

^^ This. Tips are meant to be given for good service.

swisspea

I wish people in the service industry would just get paid fairly, so we don't have to worry about this!

I'm from Canada, but where I live now (Switzerland), we just round up to the nearest even number and leave it at that.

I realize that isn't in the spirit of the original post though. I think what you did was right, there is no way you could have known that she was sensitive about her job. It sucks that she cried and I would also feel bad about that, but I think it'd better than going to her manager.

AlSalzman

Bad service? I don't tip.

Tips are earned...

That's it right there.

I used to tip everyone really, really well... I spent a long time tending bar and I felt some sort of bond with other service-industry types. Then I had really awful service at a restaurant, and that woke me up. Now you've got to earn it... be timely, be attentive, do a good job, etc...

There are also a few things that just plain honk me off - if you're goofing around with your co-workers and I'm waiting for my check, you're f#cking up at exactly the wrong time.

Alicia_Monique

I wish people in the service industry would just get paid fairly, so we don't have to worry about this!

omg if I got paid minimum wage I would quit my jobs soooo fast and go work a desk job somewhere.

On mothers day from 11 AM to 4 PM I made $180. I do NOT want to get paid minimum wage.

AlSalzman

At my job, you have to tip the bar tender, they get their OWN customers, but they don't share their tips with us, and even if we have ZERO sales in alcohol, we still have to tip them 1% of our sales. I think it's bogus, And we have to share with the hostess too. Fail there too. They should get paid Min wage, not the $4.67 we get. They shouldn't get tipped out. Bussers & food runners should get the tip out.

I am the bartender. I control the alcohol. You are worthless without me, so you will pay. You will pay and you will be happy about it and you will say nice things to me or I will make your frozen drinks luke-warm and slushy and your cocktails weak and your beers half foam. And you will stop complaining that your three tables are having to wait too long while I am in the middle of covering this three-deep rush during Happy Hour, or I will teabag every order you put in. I will find time for that *kitten*, believe that.

Try not tipping the hostess for a week, too. Enjoy your month of tables of nothing but homeless people.

The "percentage of sales" arrangement exists because waitresses will lie about their tips and short the bartenders so that the waitress can walk with more money. Proven fact.

islandjumper

After hearing all the people from countries other than the U.S that say they don't tip, I'm getting with the program. No more tipping for me. I want to be Global.

The big difference between the US and everywhere else in the world is that US restaurants don't pay anything even remotely close to what you can live on. The other big difference is the US has the best customer service (if you ever complain about slow service try going to a restaurant or bar literally ANYWHERE outside of N America and then we'll talk.) So in exchange for speedy service and lower costs at restaurants we're expected to tip. One more big difference...American restaurants have a lot more people working in them...when the company only has to pay you $3/hr they're a lot more willing to have 5-6 people on the clock.

That being said....I Always tip, no matter how the service is...I'm also a very easy going and patient person, and get a bit annoyed when a server is at my table every 5 minutes....but that's just me. I normally leave at least 20%, but if the service is REALLY bad I might leave 15%. Yes I was a waitress at one point, and honestly a pretty crap one at that (It was the only summer job I could find, and it was in a town not exactly overflowing with riches...so tips were low to start with), so I empathize.

KarensCanDoIt

If the waiter's service was poor, I'd tip on the low end of the scale (10%). If it's the food that was not properly prepared, I'd still tip the waiter. It wasn't their fault that the cooks got it wrong.

Either way, if there are issues that are really bad, I'd notify the manager. They should know what the customers are experiencing so they can correct any problems.

njmp

The thing is about tipping...there are horrible tippers and there are great tippers, and as the responses seem to suggest, for a lot of people it has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual service they receive. Some people tip 20% for good service, 15% for bad, but many tip 15% for good service and less or not at all for mediocre/bad service. And it's often impossible as a server to tell why you got the tip you did. If you get a bad tip, you think the people you served are just tight *kitten*, because most servers would never admit, or are even aware that, they gave bad service.
If you want to complain, do it with a manager. I wouldn't have minded being addressed by a customer, and it's probably effective, but not everyone would feel that way, ie girl busts out in waterworks.

ScatteredThoughts

I don't see the point of leaving a good tip for poor service. That being said, we generally leave 15%, 20% or more if the service is really good, 10% if its bad.

BAMFMeredith

I am a good tipper, generally speaking. I know the hourly wage for servers is like nothing, so tips are what they live on. That said, if service is TERRIBLE, that 20%-25% tip I usually leave gets cut down to 10%. I'd never NOT tip just because I mean, I know I have days where I suck at work but I still get paid for it, so maybe the server was having a bad day.

Often times, if a meal takes too long or something, it's not even the server's fault, it could be the kitchen's fault for screwing up an order or something. I give people the benefit of the doubt, they've got bills to pay too. If service is just mediocre, I still tip 20% because, again, we've all got bills to pay and I don't know if the server is having a bad day, isn't feeling well, whatever. Those things affect me at work, too.

If service is AMAZING, I get ridiculous with the tip. I had the most incredible server this past Valentine's Day at an upscale steakhouse here, and I made sure she got a really generous tip.

_Elemenopee_

I generally tip well (20% or more if it's deserved) but if the service is really bad I'll tip 10-15%. But I ALWAYS tip.

kansasbelle

Please know most servers make 2.15 to 2.50 an hour plus tips. Then they have to tip out the bussers and the bar 10 to 15 percent of what they make.

As a former server. I can honestly say that you have to do something pretty horrible to get 10% from me, but it has happened. I usually over tip. 20% + and I make sure I request that server again, Especially if the service is great. Also be sure to let a manager know that the service was great. It can effect what stations, how many tables in there sections and how long a server is on the floor for, therefore you could help increase their income. It could also help with promotions. I was the head server trainer for many years. It does make a difference. I have actually had people from other servers tables tip me because I helped them more than there server did LOL. Plus my former regulars wrote my recommendations for my office jobs.


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d0gma

I usually tip 20%. If the service is bad, I tip bad and, on at least one occassion, I wrote on the back of the receipt why I tipped so low.

easleyee

Sunday was Mother's day also. She may have worked 10-15 hours taking care of people all day. Service industry people don't get breaks. She may even be a mom. How would you feel the next day? Yes, sometimes there are no excuses, but what would tipping less save you? Three dollars? Five? If you need to be saving three to ten dollars, maybe you shouldn't be out.

JadedSouls

I always tip regardless of how poor the service was but it's not the usual 20-25%.

It could have been an off day for the server or something else - alot of these people live on their tips!

gpstrucker

Generous gratuity for good service, lower if the service is poor.

batgirl8809

At worst I think I leave about 10%...but having a bad day in your personal life is absolutely no reason not to provide good service.

tsh0ck

it isn't my fault they work there for crap pay and they consider tips part of their hourly income. and if that's the case, do the job well. if you do an awful job, why would I reward you with anything extra, out of my bank account?

First of all, not everyone can GET a job that doesn't have crappy pay! Trust me, they'd rather be making more doing anything else.

Also, apparently you don't know that a lot of restaurants only pay $3.00 an hour and the rest of their 'wages' are tips and that they have to include 10% of sales as their wages whether they get the 10% or not! Food service companies are allowed to do this. Applebees is one of them and my kids all worked there while going to college. I'm proud of them for working to help pay for school, etc. I suppose you never had to work for minimum wage or less huh? You're lucky.

So, essentially, because the company is allowed to pay low wages, the worker is then allowed to do a piss-poor job while still expecting to get a tip from me? Sorry. Not gonna happen. A tip is a bonus given. Bonuses aren't given out of obligation. They are earned. Don't want a bad tip? Sweet. Because I don't want bad service. This is what we call a win-win scenario.

(And I worked a pair of jobs as a full-time student to help put myself through school. One minimum wage at a radio station, one just barely over that at a newspaper. Didn't get a bonus for playing good songs or reading the weather well. Did get a christmas bonus at the paper -- one based on how well I had done that year.)