Interesting article about tipping. Guidelines

[Gina35]

I have to agree with all of the servers on this one. Although I have never worked in a restaurant, each of my 3 children has....two of them still do. They seriously do not make any money in their checks; their hourly wage, as stated, goes entirely towards taxes. Thankfully, most people realize this and try to tip the recommended 15-20%. Around here, any gratuity added to the check (large group size) is usually 18%. The servers in my children's restaurant also need to "tip out" other staff: bussers, expo (who work in the kitchen window), bartenders, etc.; so that cuts into their tip considerably. I go out with many friends who figure 15% to the penny, excluding the beverages. Whenever that happens, I will add several dollars to the tip. The wait staff is still responsible for delivering drinks, and I never tip less than 20% unless the service was really bad. Additionally, many people blame the servers for things that are out of their control: short staffed kitchen, etc. If a server is attentive and friendly, that is definitely worth at least 20% to me.

 

[Jen66]

I worked as a server for years during and right after college. Not only did I make only $2.14 an hour, I had to claim at least 10% tips a night on my total sales (no matter what I actually made-10% was a minimum) and I had to "tip out" bussers, bartenders, and the bar back a certain percentage of my total sales. When people stiff servers (and it happens independent of level of service), that server still has to "pay" for that tiip.
The article posted was about hotel staff (porters, etc) and not restaurant servers. If you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford to eat out is how I feel about the subject.