Can you come up with a new tipping system?

[Lewisc]

Guests that order "cheap" sometimes don't base their tip solely on the menu price. Going back to the original example, if I was only ordering the $15 pasta, no appetizer, no dessert and no adult beverages I might tip $5 for great service. I tied up a table. This comes up at breakfast, a person who has a cup of coffee and a roll, might tip $1 or $2 even if that is more then a 20% tip.

Conversely some guests "cap" their tip on an expensive bottle of wine.

The truth is most of us don't eat alone and typically everyone at the table doesn't "order cheap".

 

[salmoneous]

But human nature being what it is, I still think a # of server CM's would lose the incentive to do anything beyond acceptable.

I just think there is anything magical about restaurant serving that is different from other CM positions at Disney. How does Disney keep all those other CM's from just mailing-it-in without tips?

 

[Disney8704]

Its very obvious YOU didnt actually read my entire post and only parts of it. If you read the whole thing, you would have noticed I usually tip 15% for good service and 18-20% for outstanding service. I DONT start at 10%. So YOU ARE VERY WRONG on that. If I leave $3 for a $30 meal, thats 10%. $2.00 for a $30.00 meal would be about 6%. I only go below 15% if the service was just OK. Perfect example. Last time we went to dinner it was to some Italian restraunt before. We even told our server that it was our 1st time PLUS it was our anniversary. You would think the service would be perfect. I mean there was a total of maybe 5 families in the whole place. Its a very small restraunt that not to many people know about. Anyways, the waitress took our drink orders and then came back and took our meal orders. Our meals and appitizer came out but our drinks never did. We had to call another waitress over to have her tell our waitress that we never got our drinks. Our waitress comes back over and acts like we never even ordered drinks. By the time she came back with our drinks half of our meal was already eaten. Thank god they had given us a glass of free water when we first sat down. And on top of that, she didnt check on us once during our meal. She just stood by the register and talked to the cashier the entire time. Now the only reason why she actually got a tip was because I had forgotten to order our appitizer and she happened to walk past us when I remembered and she had over heard me when I asked my DH if we had ordered our appitizers. And she stopped and asked if we wanted a appitizer and told her yes. So I thought that was good on her part. Yes it was my fault I forgot, but I was gonna ask her when she brought our drinks, but it was good of her to stop and ask. She didnt have to. She could have pretended she didnt hear me or whatever. Outside the meal wasnt very good. It took an hr for us to get our food and when she brought it out it was warm. Not hot like it should have been, but warm. Which means it was sitting out for awhile before she even brought us our food.

so for average service, you leave 5-10 %? do you realize servers make very little and depend on tips? generally, the IRS figures you are going to tip 15%, and tax on that.

when I eat out, I start out at 20%, and if service is poor, it goes DOWN from that. a table with many drink refills is going to take a lot more time than one without. however,(as a srever) I have had tables that sat for an hour after dinner, with free refills for coffee(no alcohol), chatting. still taking up my time, my table. some will tip according to TIME (God bless 'em), others will sit (and sit) and take up time and still tip only 10-15%.
It sounds like you are starting OUT at 10%. If you have poor service, let it be known to the server. perhaps they are short handed (not her fault, not your fault) I once had a TERRIBLE meal, but tipped the server 20%, because it was the cook, not her. she was great and very apologetic. but I let the management know I was not happy with the FOOD, NOT the server.
If you leave a $3 tip for a $30 meal for normal service, well, never mind.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

1. If the waitor wants a larger tip, shouldn't he or she push the most expensive item on the menu, alcohol, appetizers, dessert, etc? Are these things possible to sell? How much effort does a waitor need to put forth in order to make the sale?

Some of us don't drink at all, and it doesn't matter how hard the waiter tries to push alcohol, we are not going to order it! In fact, I've gotten majorly annoyed and not gone back to restaurants that pushed alcohol too hard (like the place I mentioned where I overheard the waiter). I've worked in sales, and some waiters would make excellent salesmen. I even had a server push alcohol last month--I was 7 months pregnant!

Anyway, I know that the server does not know that I don't drink alcohol ever, it's not his fault.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

To answer the OP, if I order something "cheap" and 20% of my bill was only one or two dollars, but service was excellant, I'll leave extra, and won't worry about percents.

For instance, and I'll use your examples. If I buy a $15 pasta dish, and sevice was excellant, I'd leave at least $5.

If I ordered a $30 dish and service was bad, never got me refills, took forever to take my order, etc, (and it would have to be mutiple things, not just one of the above,) I'd probably leave at most $5.

Once at Disney I had a horrible server. He was rude and snippy to me, took forever to clear plates, (this was at a buffet,) and it took me at least half an hour to get my drink. I know I was on my second plate of food when I finally recieved my drink, and he didn't bother taking my first dirty plate.

That is the worst service I've ever had. Ever. My bill was around $30, and I believe I left a dollar and some change. What annoyed me the most, and made me leave such a bad tip, was not that it took forever to get my drink, though half an hour is completely unreasonable, was that this guy was completely rude and stuck up.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Some of us don't drink at all, and it doesn't matter how hard the waiter tries to push alcohol, we are not going to order it! In fact, I've gotten majorly annoyed and not gone back to restaurants that pushed alcohol too hard (like the place I mentioned where I overheard the waiter). I've worked in sales, and some waiters would make excellent salesmen. I even had a server push alcohol last month--I was 7 months pregnant!

Anyway, I know that the server does not know that I don't drink alcohol ever, it's not his fault.

My DF does not drink alcohol. Of course, when we're together I almost always order a drink, but on a few occasions, there're times I just want a soda. But DF over tips anyway, (not that I'm complaining, I grew up with cheap parents who at most would tip 15%, DF tips around 30%,) so it really doesn't affect the tip.

 

[Mulan82]

when i get home from work...

i will answer some of those questions.

and no, you can't tell a bad tipper right away.. well, i guess you could. if you wanted to stereotype... but honestly...

you never know.
its how you read your table and how they interact with you

 

[just another guy]

I don't know about the alcohol bill because where I work we don't serve it (IHOP). We get alot of senior citizens and most do not tip 15-20% of the bill. And its not because of bad service its just they don't tip well. Now some will but that is few and far between..We usually get 3 tables to work off of on the weekends, we are packed and you are busy from the moment you walk into the restaurant until shift change. During the week it depends on whats going on, yesterday I got to work at 8:00 A.M. took one table and daycare called my son was sick so I had to transfer it over and leave. It was getting busy so I am sure it would of been a good day but hey my kids come first.

So you only have 3 tables, your ticket average has to be VERY low, and you get a lot of elderly who don't tip well? Not to be rude, but why are you still working there? I know a lot of servers in general, and many of them tend to get use to their job, they know the menu, management, the people who come in, and just don't want to relearn everything. I was the opposite. I went through about 5 restaurants while working my way through high school and college. I kept going to more expensive restaurants. If you can handle the chaos of a busy IHOP, why not try Apple Bees, Fridays, Chilis, etc?

If the waitor wants a larger tip, shouldn't he or she push the most expensive item on the menu, alcohol, appetizers, dessert, etc? Are these things possible to sell? How much effort does a waitor need to put forth in order to make the sale?

Definitely! Thats why asking a server "whats good" is never a good question. At Apple Bees, I always pointed out the ribs, especially to guys. Its a proven fact that higher check averages brings you a larger tip. From the restaurants side, it brings them more in sales. Restaurants like Apple Bees, Chilies, etc have requirements such as reccomending their current drink promotion, or their current meal special. If a guest wanted a beer, I would get it to them as quick as possible, so they can get to drinking it. Once 1/3rd the way down, I woudl comment, "Its pretty hot today huh, ready for another?" or something like that.

Is it fair to compare a waitress from Denny's to a waitress at a high-end restaurant? To me, this is like comparing a cashier at the market to a cashier at Ann Taylor (cashiers there are not supposed to sell). This is NOT to say that one necessarily works harder than the other. It has been my experience, in general, that waitors in high end restaurants have much better customer service skills, are more professional, and are better equipped to answer specific questions such as what region a fish is from, what ingredients were used to make the potatos, etc. Shouldn't someone with these capabilities be compensated at a higher rate?

Denny's to a $50 a plate restaurant is nothing the same. You can have several tattoos, missing a couple teeth, speak in ebonics, and still work at Dennys. On the other hand, there is almost no difference between Dennys($5 a plate) and Apple Bees($8-12 a plate) Both places require you to know the menu, which side items come with which side dishes, ect. I don't want to sound rude, but I can't comprehend why anyone who has a decent appearance, and decent customer skills would work at Dennys. I could pull $150 pretty regularly at the Apple Bees I worked at. Funny thing, the reason I got into serving was because of Dennys. I was there late at night one friday back in high school with some friends. Out table was right by where the server get the drinks at. I heard two servers talking...

Ok Sally, I'm leaving.
What did you make Lisa?
I made $60, not bad. see ya later
Ok, bye Lisa.

At the time, I worked at a fast food place, and was making about $120 a week. WAIT A MINUTE, this server just made half my paycheck in one night? That was my last week of working fast food, and I was serving within 2 weeks.

One more question for those that have experience in the food industry - What do bad tippers look like? I certainly hope they don't look like me

You really can't say, although based on my experience, on average, religious people, minorities, and foreigners were the worst. I always treated everyone the same, but if I was approaching a table of minorities who had gold teeth, I sure wouldn't be expecting 20%.

I would think at a place like Disney, where the guest is, for the most part, always right, it could be dangerous to your career to treat one group of tables well and not another.

Yes, but disney management has rules to follow. For example, a server is only allowed to be taking care of so many guest at a certain time. At Apple Bees, if it was lunch time, only 3/4ths of the dining room may be in use. If we got busy, the hosts would just start seating those extra tables, and tell servers to take care of them. Management would do the same. Management cared more about "making them happy by seating them now" instead of me giving good service and making decent money. That wouldn't happen at Disney.

 

[texasteacher35]

I can see your point. I've never thought of this. I've always just tipped 15% if the service was good. If the service was outstanding (waitress fills drinks without having to ask, checking on you once in awhile, etc.) then 18 - 20%. If the service was horrible, then I generally dont leave a tip at all. My stepdad told me, leaving 1 cent will show them we havent forgotten the tip, but also saying hey the service was horrible, get your act together. But I've never have actually left 1 cent before. If the service is horrible then we generally wont leave a tip at all. If the service was ok, not great but not horrible then I'll leave what I felt they deserve. No % at that point. If my bill comes to like $20 and it was just OK, well I would prob leave like $1 or $2, which comes out to be 5% - 10%. But to figure out what you should tip if you order something more expensive but got poor service then I would take the amount you would have left at 10% and cut it in half. So if your meal came to $30, instead of paying $3, pay $1.50. Just an idea.

I like your thinking! We tip even higher than 20% of we get great service! We also leave 25 cents if the service STINKS and the waiters are rude and we never see them! I think that is fair! Waiters and Waitresses that are nice and courtious to the customers will be tipped accordingly! Just like any other service industry...hair, nails, whatever! I do not feel obligated to leave a tip for someone who is taking a smoke break or talking to friends/whatever at another table instead of doing thier job! WORD!

 

[dqpowell]

generally, the IRS figures you are going to tip 15%, and tax on that.

Absolutely untrue. Withholding is not done on imaginary income. In cases where the restaurant doesn't collect all tips and manage accounting for them, there are situations in which a percentage is assumed -- and that percentage is 8%, not 15%. In the incredibly rare example of a shortfall, the restaurant -- not the server -- is responsible for making up the difference. In any case, at most restaurants servers never come close to that mattering. On a particularly bad night, a server who handles 25 tables with ten stiffing her completely (no tip) and 15 tipping "only" 15%, still has nothing to worry about in terms of tax withholding. She's still making more than the "assumed" 8% aggregate. But again, this is an incredibly rare situation and the restaurant is the responsible party to make up the difference for withholding purposes if she did drop below 8% aggregate tip income.

As to the OP's question... there are lots of alternative tipping systems, but none will ever be adopted, as the servers themselves would oppose them. They do better with the current system than they would under any tenable alternate system. The sole exceptions would be those who work in restaurants that regularly experience low tip income, such as a very low-cost breakfast establishment. In the case of servers who work at such establishments, some alternate tipping methods would result in higher income than they currently earn, but would put a big cut into the incomes of servers in normally- and highly-tipped restaurants.

David

 

[Beep]

I find this really interesting. We are from the UK where tipping is still a strange thing to some. I find it strange that some people I know will tip a taxi driver $2-$4 on an $9-$10 fare, but tip $4-$6 on a $50 meal if they tip at all.

We have always tipped well when it is deserved. We were in a Denny's in Las Vegas and the server was a really nice guy with learning difficulties. His manager was really nasty to him and took the mickey out of him in front of us. We ordered our food and it came out still frozen in the middle. We asked the guy to take it back for us and he was really apologetic. When it came out again, it was burnt on the top but really cold in the middle. We asked him if we could order something else and he was so aoplogetic I thought he was going to cry!

As a server he was really good, very attentive and friendly. Just because he was slow there was no need for his manager to treat him like that. We left the guy a really good tip and told his manager what a good job he'd done, even though he'd been let down by the kitchen, and told her that we didn't think she should treat him like she did. Especially in front of customers.

We went back in a couple of times, mainly due to the service from this guy and he got good tips from us each time.

I think it's a shame that people tip a % of the bill. We've seen servers work twice as hard at places like Denny's than top class restaurants but their tips would have been lower.

We tip what we think is deserved, whether that be a % or an amount. If I have had great service from a top class restaurant and the % tip amount is $10, I am equally as likely to leave that for a server at Denny's if the service has been great.

Oh, and there is just the 2 of us and we don't drink alcohol!

 

[mom2my3kids]

So you only have 3 tables, your ticket average has to be VERY low, and you get a lot of elderly who don't tip well? Not to be rude, but why are you still working there? I know a lot of servers in general, and many of them tend to get use to their job, they know the menu, management, the people who come in, and just don't want to relearn everything. I was the opposite. I went through about 5 restaurants while working my way through high school and college. I kept going to more expensive restaurants. If you can handle the chaos of a busy IHOP, why not try Apple Bees, Fridays, Chilis, etc?



Definitely! Thats why asking a server "whats good" is never a good question. At Apple Bees, I always pointed out the ribs, especially to guys. Its a proven fact that higher check averages brings you a larger tip. From the restaurants side, it brings them more in sales. Restaurants like Apple Bees, Chilies, etc have requirements such as reccomending their current drink promotion, or their current meal special. If a guest wanted a beer, I would get it to them as quick as possible, so they can get to drinking it. Once 1/3rd the way down, I woudl comment, "Its pretty hot today huh, ready for another?" or something like that.



Denny's to a $50 a plate restaurant is nothing the same. You can have several tattoos, missing a couple teeth, speak in ebonics, and still work at Dennys. On the other hand, there is almost no difference between Dennys($5 a plate) and Apple Bees($8-12 a plate) Both places require you to know the menu, which side items come with which side dishes, ect. I don't want to sound rude, but I can't comprehend why anyone who has a decent appearance, and decent customer skills would work at Dennys. I could pull $150 pretty regularly at the Apple Bees I worked at. Funny thing, the reason I got into serving was because of Dennys. I was there late at night one friday back in high school with some friends. Out table was right by where the server get the drinks at. I heard two servers talking...

Ok Sally, I'm leaving.
What did you make Lisa?
I made $60, not bad. see ya later
Ok, bye Lisa.

At the time, I worked at a fast food place, and was making about $120 a week. WAIT A MINUTE, this server just made half my paycheck in one night? That was my last week of working fast food, and I was serving within 2 weeks.



You really can't say, although based on my experience, on average, religious people, minorities, and foreigners were the worst. I always treated everyone the same, but if I was approaching a table of minorities who had gold teeth, I sure wouldn't be expecting 20%.



Yes, but disney management has rules to follow. For example, a server is only allowed to be taking care of so many guest at a certain time. At Apple Bees, if it was lunch time, only 3/4ths of the dining room may be in use. If we got busy, the hosts would just start seating those extra tables, and tell servers to take care of them. Management would do the same. Management cared more about "making them happy by seating them now" instead of me giving good service and making decent money. That wouldn't happen at Disney.

You know I don't do bad, I could do better somewhere upbeat but I am content and when I leave I don't want a server job again. I will have done it 10 years next year (With IHOP) and that is enough, don't get me wrong servers can make money its just not something I want to do when I am 50 years old. I usually average 20 percent of my sales and the weekends are pretty good big familys etc..

 

[MissMet]

In our area everyone starts the tip at 20% & then goes from there. I've never left less than 20% at a restaurant unless it's a buffet.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We work off our tables if you are holding it up for 2 hours then we are losing money. You should tip very well even if you are not eating for holding up my table.

You would like my cousin. Three couples go to the same restaurant two or three times a week. They take up the table for a few hours. They order well - food, couple/three bottles of wine... they tip the check.

 

[Mulan82]

Please forgive me if these are totally ignorant questions as I've never waited tables before. I have worked on 1 or 2 restaurant accounts and seen the books, so I'm asking these questions from a business/managerial pov:

1. If the waitor wants a larger tip, shouldn't he or she push the most expensive item on the menu, alcohol, appetizers, dessert, etc? Are these things possible to sell? How much effort does a waitor need to put forth in order to make the sale?

you can try to push the more expensive stuff all the time. thats the whole point of making your check bigger. sometimes though the guest isn't interested. and you can't really be pushy about it? but sometimes people want to know the cost and if it seems too high they won't buy it. for example. there was a margarita that came out as specialty at my work 2 christmas' ago. it was made with patron silver and was a big upgrade versus our normal house margarita. it was 11 dollars. as soon as you suggested it, the guest would ask you, how much is it? you had to say 11 dollars. and then they would say no and ask for the regular cheaper margarita. and eventhough you tried to explain that well tequila is gross and patron is much smoother and less bitter they didn't care. what it came down to is that the drink cost 11 dollars. some guests are easy, if you suggest it, they will try it. i mean, i would never suggest something that is gross even if it is the most expensive thing on the menu. i like to stand by what i suggest. if i wouldn't eat it, i wouldn't suggest it. otherwise if it tastes like crap, the guest will be annoyed that you suckered them into trying something that a) was horrible and b) was only good to increase your check. i do suggest things based on what i think the guest will like. like ladies. for dessert how about a chocolate volcano? or for your entree, mamas skinny enchiladas are amazing. they are our healthier version of our regular enchiladas. or normally for guys, i go with something like steak and chicken or a skirt steak fajita.

2. Is it fair to compare a waitress from Denny's to a waitress at a high-end restaurant? To me, this is like comparing a cashier at the market to a cashier at Ann Taylor (cashiers there are not supposed to sell). This is NOT to say that one necessarily works harder than the other. It has been my experience, in general, that waitors in high end restaurants have much better customer service skills, are more professional, and are better equipped to answer specific questions such as what region a fish is from, what ingredients were used to make the potatos, etc. Shouldn't someone with these capabilities be compensated at a higher rate?
basically, i think it comes down to your table turn. when i worked at cracker barrel, i turned a lot of tables. it was exhusting. we didn't serve alcohol. and we didnt have appetizers either. things were cheap. but i could get your to eat and be out within 35-40 minutes. sometimes less. the checks were smaller but i turned more tables. you figure people eating 6.99 country dinner plates with 2 soft drinks thats roughly 18 dollars. and sunday and saturday breakfasts were were it was. i once made 100 bucks on a saturday morning working from 10-2 in a 4 table section. i can't even tell you how many tables i had. maybe 20? at 5 dollars each? sometimes less. now with that said, where i work now the food it slightly more expensive your general chain restaurant that serves alcohol. we do mexican. but i can make that same 100 dollars on 12 or so tables. but in the same amount of hours. the table turn is slower but the checks can be most of the time much higher. sometimes i can make 20 on one table if they do apps to dessert and drinks. being a server has its ups and downs.

also. do you expect the same service in a five star restaurant as you would in a cracker barrel? managers are always telling servers that you should exceed expectations. this is what helps your check.

now with all that said. depending on where you live you get from 2.13 an hr to 7 or 8/hr. it all depends on your cost of living. i get 2.13/hr living in South NJ. in california they get 7/hr. this is plus tips. for example. i once applied to host at a TGI Fridays locally. they were going to pay me 4.28 plus tip out ( tip out is the money that the servers tip out at the end of the night. its 3% of my food and beverage and goes to the bar and support which are bussers and hosts). my cousin hosted at a TGI Fridays in California and made 9 plus tip out. i wanted to cry. he also lives by LA and its a lot more expensive to live in LA than it is in NJ.

 

[Mulan82]

ps. i love the black american express card.

even on the worst night. it does wonders when you have made absolutely no money all night. you start to think, " jeez. God must not hate me after all :

 

[just another guy]

ps. i love the black american express card.

Why, I've never once gotten a crazy good tip from them. Its the standard 15-20%

 

[mom2my3kids]

Please forgive me if these are totally ignorant questions as I've never waited tables before. I have worked on 1 or 2 restaurant accounts and seen the books, so I'm asking these questions from a business/managerial pov:

1. If the waitor wants a larger tip, shouldn't he or she push the most expensive item on the menu, alcohol, appetizers, dessert, etc? Are these things possible to sell? How much effort does a waitor need to put forth in order to make the sale?

you can try to push the more expensive stuff all the time. thats the whole point of making your check bigger. sometimes though the guest isn't interested. and you can't really be pushy about it? but sometimes people want to know the cost and if it seems too high they won't buy it. for example. there was a margarita that came out as specialty at my work 2 christmas' ago. it was made with patron silver and was a big upgrade versus our normal house margarita. it was 11 dollars. as soon as you suggested it, the guest would ask you, how much is it? you had to say 11 dollars. and then they would say no and ask for the regular cheaper margarita. and eventhough you tried to explain that well tequila is gross and patron is much smoother and less bitter they didn't care. what it came down to is that the drink cost 11 dollars. some guests are easy, if you suggest it, they will try it. i mean, i would never suggest something that is gross even if it is the most expensive thing on the menu. i like to stand by what i suggest. if i wouldn't eat it, i wouldn't suggest it. otherwise if it tastes like crap, the guest will be annoyed that you suckered them into trying something that a) was horrible and b) was only good to increase your check. i do suggest things based on what i think the guest will like. like ladies. for dessert how about a chocolate volcano? or for your entree, mamas skinny enchiladas are amazing. they are our healthier version of our regular enchiladas. or normally for guys, i go with something like steak and chicken or a skirt steak fajita.

2. Is it fair to compare a waitress from Denny's to a waitress at a high-end restaurant? To me, this is like comparing a cashier at the market to a cashier at Ann Taylor (cashiers there are not supposed to sell). This is NOT to say that one necessarily works harder than the other. It has been my experience, in general, that waitors in high end restaurants have much better customer service skills, are more professional, and are better equipped to answer specific questions such as what region a fish is from, what ingredients were used to make the potatos, etc. Shouldn't someone with these capabilities be compensated at a higher rate?
basically, i think it comes down to your table turn. when i worked at cracker barrel, i turned a lot of tables. it was exhusting. we didn't serve alcohol. and we didnt have appetizers either. things were cheap. but i could get your to eat and be out within 35-40 minutes. sometimes less. the checks were smaller but i turned more tables. you figure people eating 6.99 country dinner plates with 2 soft drinks thats roughly 18 dollars. and sunday and saturday breakfasts were were it was. i once made 100 bucks on a saturday morning working from 10-2 in a 4 table section. i can't even tell you how many tables i had. maybe 20? at 5 dollars each? sometimes less. now with that said, where i work now the food it slightly more expensive your general chain restaurant that serves alcohol. we do mexican. but i can make that same 100 dollars on 12 or so tables. but in the same amount of hours. the table turn is slower but the checks can be most of the time much higher. sometimes i can make 20 on one table if they do apps to dessert and drinks. being a server has its ups and downs.

also. do you expect the same service in a five star restaurant as you would in a cracker barrel? managers are always telling servers that you should exceed expectations. this is what helps your check.

now with all that said. depending on where you live you get from 2.13 an hr to 7 or 8/hr. it all depends on your cost of living. i get 2.13/hr living in South NJ. in california they get 7/hr. this is plus tips. for example. i once applied to host at a TGI Fridays locally. they were going to pay me 4.28 plus tip out ( tip out is the money that the servers tip out at the end of the night. its 3% of my food and beverage and goes to the bar and support which are bussers and hosts). my cousin hosted at a TGI Fridays in California and made 9 plus tip out. i wanted to cry. he also lives by LA and its a lot more expensive to live in LA than it is in NJ.

I agree, I have less tables but they turn better but then again I make less per tip off of a table because the bills are smaller. You are going to have people either stiff the server or leave a bad tip more often at a cheaper place I think even if you have better service..

 

[Sandi12404]

I've been a server for 6 years and sometimes it's just very frustrating. I actually had a table leave me a note on a napkin saying "the service was excellent but we're short on cash so we couldn't leave you a tip. Sorry". Why don't you just slap me in the face. If you don't have the money to tip then please don't come out.
We're actually encouraged to sell alcohol. When I greet a table I have to tell them the drink special and beer special and try to sell it. I hate doing that but the manager will come down hard if you don't. We have a ranking system that actually effects our schedule and you're alcohol percentage actually figures into it. Fair, not at all. All I ask is that you be patient with me while I suggest the drinks. I think that people know if they're going to drink before they come in. I know that if my husband and I go out to eat I already know before we leave the house if I'm going to have a drink.
I actually was listnening to talk radio one day and a guy was on saying that he leaves a card on the table when he leaves saying that he won't pay our salary and talk to our manager if we have a problem. Our manager? What's he going do about it. I acutally called in (which I never do). I told him that say the law changed and they started paying servers $8 dollars an hour. The menu prices would have to jump to accomodate the raise increase. Therefore only the wealthy would be able to eat out. Countless restaurants would have to close, the unemployment rate would skyrocket and the economy would go to crap. Just because you can't leave a couple bucks on the table.
Anyway, sorry I just had to vent a little.

 

[just another guy]

When I greet a table I have to tell them the drink special and beer special and try to sell it. I hate doing that but the manager will come down hard if you don't. We have a ranking system that actually effects our schedule and you're alcohol percentage actually figures into it. Fair, not at all.

Chili's? I know a girl that worked at one, and quit about 2 years ago when they put that policy into place. Management says sell presidente' margaritas and bonelss buffao wings this week. Whoever sells the most gets their choice of shifts and tables. Like you said, not fair at all, but all management cares about is how they look in their district managers view.