Would You Have Tipped In This Situation?

[BeachGirlFLA]

Originally Posted by happygirl

Yes, I would have tipped.I wouldn;t have complained you choose to keep the drink you could have sent it back, you only complained only after you drank the whole thing.

Happygirl, the drink wasn't the big deal...if they hadn't messed up the submission of our entree order (as in not submitting it) we wouldn't have complained.
Horseshowmom, that's okay...that's what made sense with what you said but I wanted to make sure.
Now I feel like a wimp for tipping but I would have felt guilty not doing so.

[momof1princess]

OP, i probably would've felt guilty afterward, but, in this situation, i wouldn't have left a tip. the server totally dropped the ball.

once, when we went out to eat at cracker barrel, our waitress never showed up to our table. after waiting over 10 minutes, a waiter showed up and apologized, saying our waitress was "having a rough night", and took our drink and food order. he then brought us our drinks, and another waitress brought us our food. we never did see the waitress who was assigned to our table, even though she waited on the table next to ours. when it came time to leave, our waitress was a little dismayed when i gave our tip to the waiter who took our order and brought our drinks. i think she actually believed she deserved a tip, when she hadn't even bothered to say "hi" to us! the waiter may have given the money to her, or split it with her, but i gave the money to the person who earned it.

[Jennasis]

We either would have left nothing, or something really small...like a quarter.

[lizabu]

They should have given you your apps and drinks for free. I would have tipped the server still. It sounds like the kitchen made the screw up.

[mfd25wife]

Originally Posted by lizabu

They should have given you your apps and drinks for free. I would have tipped the server still. It sounds like the kitchen made the screw up.

I respectfully disagree. We have no idea why the "order didn't go through". However, the server freely admitted to losing the handwritten copy. It makes me wonder if he lost it first and therefore never actually entered it. We do know the OP had to remind the server they did not receive their food. He should have noticed they were just sitting there and waiting.

As for complaining on the drink, I do understand it. It's not a major thing except when it's just one more thing on top of poor service and no entree. I would have brought it up, also.

[firecracker725]

Originally Posted by momof1princess

OP, i probably would've felt guilty afterward, but, in this situation, i wouldn't have left a tip. the server totally dropped the ball.

once, when we went out to eat at cracker barrel, our waitress never showed up to our table. after waiting over 10 minutes, a waiter showed up and apologized, saying our waitress was "having a rough night", and took our drink and food order. he then brought us our drinks, and another waitress brought us our food. we never did see the waitress who was assigned to our table, even though she waited on the table next to ours. when it came time to leave, our waitress was a little dismayed when i gave our tip to the waiter who took our order and brought our drinks. i think she actually believed she deserved a tip, when she hadn't even bothered to say "hi" to us! the waiter may have given the money to her, or split it with her, but i gave the money to the person who earned it.

I did the same thing at a Cracker Barrel once, except we only had our card and the tip would have defaulted to our waitress of record. So, we chose to leave the restaurant after paying our bill, drove to an atm, and returned with cash in hand for the girl who actually provided service to us. I think our original waitress got the message loud and clear.

OP: I would have tipped nothing. You were more than generous in doing so.

[horseshowmom]

Originally Posted by Andtototoo

I wouldn't have tipped him anything. And frankly, I think the manager was a fool for not just comping your entire bill and sending you on your way with a freebie.

I really agree. The manager lost an opportunity to do some damage control and blew it.

Originally Posted by BeachGirlFLA

Happygirl, the drink wasn't the big deal...if they hadn't messed up the submission of our entree order (as in not submitting it) we wouldn't have complained.Horseshowmom, that's okay...that's what made sense with what you said but I wanted to make sure.
Now I feel like a wimp for tipping but I would have felt guilty not doing so.

I would have felt the same way. It was "the rest of it" that made the difference.

Originally Posted by momof1princess

OP, i probably would've felt guilty afterward, but, in this situation, i wouldn't have left a tip. the server totally dropped the ball.

once, when we went out to eat at cracker barrel, our waitress never showed up to our table. after waiting over 10 minutes, a waiter showed up and apologized, saying our waitress was "having a rough night", and took our drink and food order. he then brought us our drinks, and another waitress brought us our food. we never did see the waitress who was assigned to our table, even though she waited on the table next to ours. when it came time to leave, our waitress was a little dismayed when i gave our tip to the waiter who took our order and brought our drinks. i think she actually believed she deserved a tip, when she hadn't even bothered to say "hi" to us! the waiter may have given the money to her, or split it with her, but i gave the money to the person who earned it.

Wow, that waitress needed a wake up call if she thought she should get the tip when she did none of the work.

Originally Posted by mfd25wife

I respectfully disagree. We have no idea why the "order didn't go through". However, the server freely admitted to losing the handwritten copy. It makes me wonder if he lost it first and therefore never actually entered it. We do know the OP had to remind the server they did not receive their food. He should have noticed they were just sitting there and waiting.

As for complaining on the drink, I do understand it. It's not a major thing except when it's just one more thing on top of poor service and no entree. I would have brought it up, also.

[cornflake]

I'm confused as to what happened with the order - I don't know that anyone but the waiter knows what happened or why there.

I mean the didn't get put through thing could be a computer glitch, a kitchen glitch or his mistake. Then tossing the copy could have been his error or it could be the way it's meant to be done there, like put it into the system and then toss the paper after you input (which I get seems like you should keep backup but some places have more issues with repeat or confused orders than computer errors and move on. I dunno.

Because I dunno, and he seemed to attempt to do something vaguely about it (though according to the mgr, he was wrong about what he did there), I think I'd have done what you did.

Waitstaff has to be really, really, horrendously awful and it be very obviously them not the kitchen for me to not tip or tip very little.

[goofyintoronto]

Originally Posted by sam_gordon

So wait, not only do people tip when waiters do their job, they tip when waiters DON'T do their job?

Sorry, OP, to me this is the classic definition of when a tip isn't needed. The waiter should know you're not "stiffing" him. *HE* messed up... more than once.

Originally Posted by kimblebee

Absolutely not. What part of that service deserved a tip? I know things are different in the States, but still.

I agree with the above. No way would I have left a tip in this situation.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

[MIGrandma]

Originally Posted by Kimberle

Depends. If I see the server working really hard, I still tip 20%. A few times we've been out for dinner and haven't received the best service. If I see the server is working really hard, I still tip 20%. It's not their fault if the restaurant doesn't have enough help on duty.

I agree with this. I've been in the position of working hard but not being able to keep up with the demand and number of tables I was waiting on, mostly on the one night of the week where I was the only waitress in a restaurant that seats 100 people. At times I might have 10-15 tables, 50 or so people, to wait on. It's hard, if not impossible, to keep up with that many.

And I have been in that waiter's shoes before once or twice, forgetting to put the order in as I may have been stopped 2 or 3 times by other tables on my way to do that and being so far "in the weeds" that I thought I'd already put the order in, then realized I didn't! I would go to the table and admit my error and apologize to them, which I found that if you are just honest with your customers and own up to your mistake they would be very understanding. And would still tip.

Had I been in the OP's shoes, I still would have tipped a couple of dollars. Yes, the waiter made a mistake, but who hasn't made a mistake in their job?

[The Mystery Machine]

This story reminds me when dh and I did a "dine and dash". Yes the service was so bad that is what we did.

We asked for the bill more than once and waited and waited. Finally we just left.

I had never, ever done that but in this case it was justified.

I would not have tipped since he forget to put in the order.

[sam_gordon]

Originally Posted by cornflake

Because I dunno, and he seemed to attempt to do something vaguely about it (though according to the mgr, he was wrong about what he did there), I think I'd have done what you did.

I'd be more willing to forgive the mistake if the OP didn't have to bring the mistake up to the waiter. If the waiter, after serving numerous tables around the OP, noticed their food hasn't come out, then realized the ticket got lost and told the OP himself, I can see forgiving him. The fact the OP had to seek out the waiter to ask what happened destroys that.

Yes, everyone messes up on the job. Own up to it. It's better for me to go to my boss and say "Here's what I did, it messed up 'x', here's what I'm doing to fix it." Than for him to come to me and say "'x' is messed up, what happened?"

[BeachGirlFLA]

Originally Posted by sam_gordon

I'd be more willing to forgive the mistake if the OP didn't have to bring the mistake up to the waiter. If the waiter, after serving numerous tables around the OP, noticed their food hasn't come out, then realized the ticket got lost and told the OP himself, I can see forgiving him. The fact the OP had to seek out the waiter to ask what happened destroys that.

Yes, everyone messes up on the job. Own up to it. It's better for me to go to my boss and say "Here's what I did, it messed up 'x', here's what I'm doing to fix it." Than for him to come to me and say "'x' is messed up, what happened?"

I totally agree...my husband's main complaint was that we had to bring it up and ask where our food was. We decided to go out last night to a Cajun place (right next door to On The Border) to kind of make up for Friday night. We ordered two appetizers and two drinks and one of our appetizers came out before the drinks but the waitress showed up a couple of minutes later with our drinks and told us what had happened. She'd been standing at the bar waiting for our drinks and asked the bartender what they were. He asked her what she ordered and it turns out she forgot to order them. We never had to ask her where our drinks were and we tipped her 20% like we would anyone else who did a good job.

[mjkacmom]

Originally Posted by sam_gordon

I'd be more willing to forgive the mistake if the OP didn't have to bring the mistake up to the waiter. If the waiter, after serving numerous tables around the OP, noticed their food hasn't come out, then realized the ticket got lost and told the OP himself, I can see forgiving him. The fact the OP had to seek out the waiter to ask what happened destroys that.

Yes, everyone messes up on the job. Own up to it. It's better for me to go to my boss and say "Here's what I did, it messed up 'x', here's what I'm doing to fix it." Than for him to come to me and say "'x' is messed up, what happened?"

I think he did own up to it, and offered to put in their order, and have it be free (which means the server would have to tell the manager about the mistake). He obviously didn't realize the mistake until they called it to his attention - it happens. The drink thing is a very easy mistake (strawberry vs. strawberry stripe), and I'm sure he would've made the correction if it was brought to his attention.

Busy Friday night? I think both the server and the manager bent over backwards to fix the situation. Free meals? Comped drink? Free anything they want? Coupons? I think most people who've worked in restaurants have accidently placed a wrong order, or forgetten to put in an order. It happens, they try to make it right.

Considering the OP took up to a table for at least an hour, I think the server was "punished" for his mistakes even with the tip. I would asssume he normally would've gotten at least $10 for a 2-top on a Friday night.

[Bob NC]

Originally Posted by The Mystery Machine

We asked for the bill more than once and waited and waited. Finally we just left.

I had never, ever done that but in this case it was justified.

Yeah, just keep telling yourself that.