My thoughts on tipping...

[tnkr_bell]

I realize the other thread on tipping got closed, and I am a little reluctant to bring up the subject again. However, I've been thinking about tipping in restaurants, and it really does bother me that we are "supposed" to tip based on the price of our bill.

So if our tips are supposed to supplements the waiter/waitresses hourly wage then why don't we tip based on how long we occupy the table. If I'm at a table for an hour than I would leave a $5 tip. So if someone is working four or five tables then that would be $20-$25 dollars per hour to supplement their wage. If I'm at the table for two hours it would be a $10 tip. The price per hour could easily vary depending on the quality of the restaurant and the job that the wait staff does.

It could easily be adjusted for large groups who would take up more than one table, the tip would be based per table the group uses and the amount of time. Also, if someone orders an drinks, appetizer, entre, and dessert they will be at the table longer and the tip would change accordingly.

I don't know, this just makes more sense to me. I would hate to think that I could never go to a nicer restaurant because I don't want to add a $30 or $40 tip onto my $150 bill (not that I would leave a $5 tip either).

Can we please keep the discussion on this civil, and mods if you feel this is inappropriate, please remove.

 

[marie1203]

You are assuming the waiter takes all the tip money which is not the case. It is split between busboy, bartenders and sometimes even hostess. So given your example you are there 1 hour tip $5 really the waitress only gets $1.25 per table if she is lucky and has 5 tables $6.25 minus taxes. It just doesn't seem fair. I think the % makes more sense the more you consume the more you tip usually if you are eating more you will be sitting in the table for a longer time so it kind of goes hand in hand. Of course there are exceptions.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

I think it should also be brought up that tipping is somewhat a regional idea. To tip in a midwestern rural area 20% would be a little unusual. To hear some on this board, you should be chased out of a restaurant if you don't tip at least 20%.

Personally, I don't like the idea of tipping. I'm not sure where you end with tipping - Sonic (because they bring the food to your vehicle), McDonald's (because they bring the food to your tray --and some McD's do have tip jars), hairdresser (because they cut/wash/style the hair), bellman (because they carry your bag x amount of feet), cab driver (b/c they didn't wreck on the way to your destination), etc.

 

[tnkr_bell]

Yes, but that $6.25 is then added to the hourly wage they receive which would make it at least $8.25 an hour. Which to me sounds about right for an applebee's type restaurant. I would definently up my per hour rate for a nicer restaurant and I would also raise or lower it depending on the quality of the services. Also at a nicer restaurant, you are usually there longer so the tip would be more.

 

[Piglet843]

I realize the other thread on tipping got closed, and I am a little reluctant to bring up the subject again. However, I've been thinking about tipping in restaurants, and it really does bother me that we are "supposed" to tip based on the price of our bill.

So if our tips are supposed to supplements the waiter/waitresses hourly wage then why don't we tip based on how long we occupy the table. If I'm at a table for an hour than I would leave a $5 tip. So if someone is working four or five tables then that would be $20-$25 dollars per hour to supplement their wage. If I'm at the table for two hours it would be a $10 tip. The price per hour could easily vary depending on the quality of the restaurant and the job that the wait staff does.

It could easily be adjusted for large groups who would take up more than one table, the tip would be based per table the group uses and the amount of time. Also, if someone orders an drinks, appetizer, entre, and dessert they will be at the table longer and the tip would change accordingly.

I don't know, this just makes more sense to me. I would hate to think that I could never go to a nicer restaurant because I don't want to add a $30 or $40 tip onto my $150 bill (not that I would leave a $5 tip either).

Can we please keep the discussion on this civil, and mods if you feel this is inappropriate, please remove.

What if you are there for an Hour and a Half - do they get $7.50?

What if one of the waiter's table is empty for an hour - is she just crap out of luck - since her last table only left her $5?

I dunno - IMO - I don't think doing it this way would help at all

 

[tnkr_bell]

I think it should also be brought up that tipping is somewhat a regional idea. To tip in a midwestern rural area 20% would be a little unusual. To hear some on this board, you should be chased out of a restaurant if you don't tip at least 20%.

Personally, I don't like the idea of tipping. I'm not sure where you end with tipping - Sonic (because they bring the food to your vehicle), McDonald's (because they bring the food to your tray --and some McD's do have tip jars), hairdresser (because they cut/wash/style the hair), bellman (because they carry your bag x amount of feet), cab driver (b/c they didn't wreck on the way to your destination), etc.

I agree with you, I don't like the idea of tipping either. If I pay for a services, why do I have to pay more to the person who performed the services. I think servers should just get paid an hourly wage like everyone else, and then if they don't do a good job they are let go. If they are really good at what they do then they get a higher raise at there yearly review. It's the way the rest of the world works.

 

[vicki_c]

Reopening a closed thread (what you are doing) is a violation of the DIS ToS and may result in you being assessed points by the mods. Bad idea.



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[tnkr_bell]

What if you are there for an Hour and a Half - do they get $7.50?

What if one of the waiter's table is empty for an hour - is she just crap out of luck - since her last table only left her $5?

I dunno - IMO - I don't think doing it this way would help at all

Yes, an hour and a half would get $7.50, and an hour and 45 mins would get $8.25. If someone doesn't have a table to serve they wouldn't be getting a tip no matter how you look at it.

 

[tnkr_bell]

Just an FYI...I used $5 an hour just for an example. I'm sure it would vary depending on region, time of day etc.

Also, I'm sure there would be someone out there to tell us exactly what we should leave so that there wouldn't be any misuderstandings. LOL

 

[MrsNick]

Yes, but that $6.25 is then added to the hourly wage they receive which would make it at least $8.25 an hour. Which to me sounds about right for an applebee's type restaurant. I would definently up my per hour rate for a nicer restaurant and I would also raise or lower it depending on the quality of the services. Also at a nicer restaurant, you are usually there longer so the tip would be more.

Just as an FYI, least here in NJ, servers do NOT make minimum wage. The reason is that they are expected to receive tip income. In NJ, the minimum wage for tipped workers is $2.13. This varies from state to state, but very few states require servers to be paid full minimum wage.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped2009.htm

 

[tnkr_bell]

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I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stir up trouble and they are more than welcome to close this thread.

I just thought it was a different way of looking at things and was hoping people could discuss it in a calm and reasonable manner.

 

[Dopey19]

I have never thought of tipping in the way you figured it out but just to put more confusion into the mix - your calculation is to attempt to make the server earn minimum wage based on how long you occupy the table but all shifts have some "dead time". Basically you'll get a breakfast, lunch & dinner crowd but an hour before/after rush things will slow down leaving tables empty (i.e. server earning only the $2.13/hour). If you tip based on the check I think that helps keep the hourly average consistent? Maybe? At the end of the day you should give what you feel the server earned. I'm a 20% unless the server is really bad - I'll round up for really good.

 

[Lilysmom]

You are assuming the waiter takes all the tip money which is not the case. It is split between busboy, bartenders and sometimes even hostess. So given your example you are there 1 hour tip $5 really the waitress only gets $1.25 per table if she is lucky and has 5 tables $6.25 minus taxes. It just doesn't seem fair. I think the % makes more sense the more you consume the more you tip usually if you are eating more you will be sitting in the table for a longer time so it kind of goes hand in hand. Of course there are exceptions.

There are plenty of places where waitresses don't have to tip out. I have worked at several of them. We didn't pool tips between waitresses and bartenders and we weren't forced to tip out.

Busboys and hostess make a different hourly wage than waitresses in most places (as PP stated here in NJ waitresses make $2.13 and hour while the hostess and busboy at the last establishment I worked at received full minimum wage.) It was up to the discretion of the waitress how much to tip out to these folks, if at all.

 

[DeniseinNS]

You are assuming the waiter takes all the tip money which is not the case. It is split between busboy, bartenders and sometimes even hostess. So given your example you are there 1 hour tip $5 really the waitress only gets $1.25 per table if she is lucky and has 5 tables $6.25 minus taxes. It just doesn't seem fair. I think the % makes more sense the more you consume the more you tip usually if you are eating more you will be sitting in the table for a longer time so it kind of goes hand in hand. Of course there are exceptions.

I waitress and we tip out 2% of our sales before taxes and that is split between kitchen/dishwashers/bartender/hostesses. For me it usually works out to about 10%-12% of my tips each shift. Minimum wage here is $9.20 for everyone, whether they are tipped or not.

 

[HM]

Part of the reason you are supposed to tip on the amount of the bill, is that the amount they sell is one of the ways that their tips are taxed by the govt. The goverment expect that the waitress is making 10% of the total she sold each night. If she gets 15% and has to tip out the bus boys or bartender, then she's just making that amount. And wait persons are lucky to actually get 15% of their sales each night. Some people tip more, but a lot tip less.

 

[tnkr_bell]

I have never thought of tipping in the way you figured it out but just to put more confusion into the mix - your calculation is to attempt to make the server earn minimum wage based on how long you occupy the table but all shifts have some "dead time". Basically you'll get a breakfast, lunch & dinner crowd but an hour before/after rush things will slow down leaving tables empty (i.e. server earning only the $2.13/hour). If you tip based on the check I think that helps keep the hourly average consistent? Maybe? At the end of the day you should give what you feel the server earned. I'm a 20% unless the server is really bad - I'll round up for really good.

So lets say a server works a 6 hour shift (4 p.m to 10 p.m.). For three of those hours it is slower and they only average 2 tables per hour or at $5 a table that's $10 per hour times three hours is $30. Then for the other three hours all five of their tables are full so they average $25 an hour times three hours is $75. So for the evening they have made $105, not including their hourly wage. So lets say hypothetically that half of those tips goes to the busboys, bartenders, and hostess (can't leave anyone out ). That leaves the server $52.50, which comes out to $8.75 an hour plus the hourly wage of $2.15 an hour. That gives the server an hourly wage of $10.90 an hour.

Now if someone was working during a slower time, then they would have more tables to make up for the lack of customers. I still think it would all balance itself out in the end.

 

[mistysue]

Where would a server getting $5 actually have to tip out nearly $4 of that?

I fully agree, you are being asked to pay your server's income. For this reason, I think it is reasonable to think about what wage they are earning. I like to think about $5/hour per table and I think that is fair. How long you take up the person's table should be used as a measure, as well as how complicated you make it. If you get minimum service, get out fast and order menu standard, that should be your consideration... not whether shrimp pasta costs more than chicken pasta on the menu.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

My DD is a server at our local BoneFish. She normally works from 5-midnight.
There are nights that she makes $150 in tips, then there are nights that she makes $20. So when you are figuring things out to get their base salary, you really can't. There are also some places that do not pay minimum wage, but like $4 an hour plus tips..
I base my tips on my service. If I get good service, I tip 20%. If I get ok service, I tip 15%. If I get lousy service, I leave nothing & comment to the manager on duty as I walk out. On buffet's I leave 10% since you really are serving yourself except for beverages.

As someone else posted, the server doesn't get the entire tip, they usually tip out the bar tender, hostess, and bus boy. So on the nights that my DD makes only $20, she has to share it with 3 others (a percentage of her tips go to them). My DD is also on the books, regardless of what she makes, BoneFish has all their servers wages repoted to the IRS as a percentage of what the nightly sales were. So in other words, there are nights that while the place was busy, she wasn't tipped very well, yet she BoneFish is having her declare the pecentage that was made on their sales for that night. It also works the other way too... when they did not do very well over all for the night, yet someone leaves her a hefty tip. She does make minimum wage where she is, but as I stated, not all do.

 

[PrincessBelle09]

I have worked as a hostess before and made the same hourly wage as the servers ($2.13) and the servers had to tip out so that the bus and host staff received a percentage of their tips based on hours worked.

Quite frankly, and forgive my harshness, but if you have not worked in the restaurant industry, please just give your 15-20% and stop complaining or find a way to reform restaurant industry practices so that servers and staff can make a decent wage without relying on the charity of patrons.

 

[MrsNick]

Part of the reason you are supposed to tip on the amount of the bill, is that the amount they sell is one of the ways that their tips are taxed by the govt. The goverment expect that the waitress is making 10% of the total she sold each night. If she gets 15% and has to tip out the bus boys or bartender, then she's just making that amount. And wait persons are lucky to actually get 15% of their sales each night. Some people tip more, but a lot tip less.

Agreed. I forgot all about this (it's been many years since I waited tables). Back in the day when I waited tables, we were required to claim a certain percentage of our sales as tips for taxes. The taxes we paid were not based on the number of tables we had or on how long they sat there. The taxes were based on the sums of the checks.

And yes, we had to tip out busboys in two places I worked. In the third place, we had to tip out the bartenders, the runners and the busboys. So, the money from tips was not all mine.

As stated, some people left at least 15%, but other people left less. Basically, I may not agree with the tip system, but until that changes I know to expect to leave anywhere from 15%-25% of the bill total for a tip when I go out to eat at a table service restaurant and budget for that accordingly (just as we budget for sales tax on top of the bill).

If we ever had a non-tip system at restaurants, the menu prices would jump 15% and we'd still be paying the same to eat out anyway, so I don't really see the difference. JMO. ETA: actually, we'd be paying slightly more since the sales tax would be based on the inflated menu prices. With the price of labor separate from the menu price, we're actually getting a break on the sales tax.