REALLY, REALLY crappy service still= tip???

[N.Bailey]

Wow, I totally disagree with you.
I have had bad days and I can understand how they can affect you. So when I get a server who is having a bad day I can understand and relate. If I feel like a server is doing a bad job then I leave 15% and for me that is almost like leaving 50.cents. I have never understood. Would you want your boss to dock your pay if you had a bad day?

I think it's trashy that she is allowed to sit at the bar at all, let alone sit there the entire time chatting it up with the bartender and it's worse when it's in plain view of the customers. If she has a problem with the $$$ she's making, she's going to have to learn to work for it.

When I waited tables, you were allowed to sit ONLY when you were off the clock!!! Store motto was, if you have time to lean, you have time to clean!

If she can't take a refill to a table, or get the food to the table while it's HOT, maybe she should seek new employment and/or, report off the next time she's having a bad day.

Whining about how much money a table left where other customers can hear? Why is that acceptable on any level? Chasing down a customer who didn't tip you what you felt you deserved? That would be trashy coming from the waitress who just gave you the best service of your life, but it's so much richer coming from the whiner who sat on her butt and did nothing!

 

[bumbershoot]

We did speak to the manager and told her why we weren't leaving a tip.

Any time I don't tip, I make sure I speak with a manager and fully explain why there is no tip. I fortunately, haven't had to do anything like that too often.

We actually had to do that at Cafe Orleans in Disneyland! The guy was awful. To US. For the other tables around us, he was bustling back and forth, bringing huge trays of food and drinks and refills...for us, it was like night and day. It's possible he was going by the self-fulfilling prophesy that people who share food aren't going to tip well, but he just doesn't know my husband. DH likes tipping. And we were pleasant, and actually did order one thing for each of us, etc etc... That meal took nearly 2 hours...salad, ratatouille, and pommes frites for DS, plus a capuccino for DH and waters all around. Oh, and an order of beignets that took nearly half an hour.

DH finally went and found the manager, who comped about half our bill and said she would talk to him and explain why she was doing that to the server. DH did leave a small tip, because I made him, because she comped part of the bill, but DH (the generous one) certainly did NOT want to do so.

IStore motto was, if you have time to lean, you have time to clean!

I think that's the motto everywhere!



OP, did you explain to the server what the problem was? What did she say to that?

 

[ICF]

based on the info you described, I'd say $0.50 was plenty....

 

[OceanAnnie]

I almost always leave a tip but in this case I think you left 49cents too much.

I agree. No service. No tip.

 

[DeniseinNS]

I am a server and I have to say that you did the right thing. You need to WORK for your tips, not ignore your tables and then get mad about not getting a tip!

 

[kellyg403]

OP, I think you handled it just fine. If the manager didn't want to do his job and the waitress had other things going on in her life besides serving you, well her tip reflected her work ethic.

I don't usually get involved in the 'tipping' threads too much. I did have a situation once where a girlfriend and I were out getting lunch at a local rest. When we got our bills at the bottom the waitress had written something along the lines that tips are appreciated and highlighted it with a yellow marker. I can see why she needed to do that personally, it was terrible service.

I very rarely don't leave a tip and it really has to be miserable service for me not to leave anything at all. But really, if I leave a tip for someone like the OP's waitress I liken it to my job. I don't get a raise if I don't perform. Tips, the better the waitress the higher the tip = raise in my eyes. So, this particular waitress would probably have seen the change from my bill or nothing at all. And, the manager? I would have called his boss the next day.

Kelly

 

[perdidobay]

I would have done the exact same thing as the OP. There IS a difference in having a bad day and just not doing your job because you're chit chatting with the bartender.

Only one time in my 53 years have I not left a tip. I don't know if our server was having a bad day or what but she got no tip and I complained to the manager because of her attitude and actions.
It was at a Chilis and it was busy but not horribly so. I have no idea who our server was mad at but she took it out on us from the minute we sat down. She literally threw the menus at us while frowning and walked away without taking a drink order. 5 minutes later she comes back and looking at us like we just killed her puppy, asked what we wanted to drink.(she never once smiled or made eye contact.)
Then she slammed our drinks down on the table and did the same with the food - causing some to fall onto me- and she just walked away- never once asking if everything was ok or even coming by the table again.
I am super polite to everyone so believe me it was nothing we did.
We sat and waited 20 minutes for our check....and waited...and waited...
when she came and slapped the bill down and walked away- no thanks, fu
or anything.
I paid in cash (no way was I using a credit card!) and walked up and asked to speak to the manager. After telling him about our experience he offered to comp our meal - I said no thanks, I just wanted to leave I was so pissed and didn't want to come back. And I didn't.

You can have a bad day at work, lord knows I have before, but if I had acted like that girl did I would have been fired on the spot. As she should have been.

I am 10X more likely to ask for a manager to compliment a server and/or the food than to make a complaint. It's great when they walk up thinking they are going to hear a complaint and then they hear praise.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

How many of us have a bad day and still have to go into work and do our jobs:confused I do give people a break but that would not cut it. I would of done the same thing.
Not to long ago I saw something on tv where people were talking about the economy and if you can't afford to leave a 15% tip you shouldn't go out to eat becasue if you don't leave a 15% tip that is stealing
I have waitressed I remember how it is. I don't ask for much to keep me happy in a resterauntif you can't do that your tip goes down.
BUT if you talk to my kids like they are PEOPLE your tip goes up

 

[eliza61]

Sounds to me like you handled the situation quite nicely.. The only thing I would have done differently was to leave NO tip at all.. Your waitress spent the entire time clearly in your view, so I find it very hard to believe that there was any valid reason for her not doing her job..

Love your phrase: "Tips an EARNED income - not a RIGHT"..

Too bad your waitress seemed to feel otherwise..

Ditto.
I am sorry that most servers earn a crappy minimum wage but bad service means no tip. I have never ever believed I should reward some one for not doing their job.
I do try and speak with the manager though so they understand why I am upset and so the server does not blow it off as "cheapness". I totally understand people having a bad day but imo that does not give anyone a free pass to do their jobs correctly.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Sounds to me like you handled the situation quite nicely.. The only thing I would have done differently was to leave NO tip at all..

No, if you leave nothing some people will assume you forgot to tip. If you leave a pittance they get your message loud and clear.

My dad was in food service for years and he's extremely picky when it comes to service. Once he laid the whole tip on the table so the waitress could see and every time she had attitude, issues, etc he'd remove a bill. I think in the end she was left with a dollar. Sounds like a mean guy but not really. We had a breakfast fundraiser for school at Applebees and we got one of my favorite students as a waitress, she was really good. My dad gave her tips on how to serve, what to ask. This girl was born to waitress, but the positive comments and reinforcements made her shine. I requested her table at the spaghetti supper we had a month later. He left her an awesome tip both times.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

.
BUT if you talk to my kids like they are PEOPLE your tip goes up

YES!!!! I can not tell you how many times my kids are ignored. We eat out a lot, like 3-4 times a week sometimes, my kids know how to behave in a restaurant, they want to order their own food, we encourage our kids to talk to the wait staff, the kids need to learn how to communicate, use manners, express concern if the order isn't right. ETC......

 

[okeydokey]

It sounds like you had bad service but you never know what was going on with her. I always try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I will always leave atleast 15%. at the minium. If you had just left me 50 cents I would have assumed you were just cheap. It's so funny people don't understand that even if you don't leave a tip for whatever reason, The server still has to claim her amount of total sales for the shift, if people don't leave enough tip she has to make up the difference. So not only you don't tip her she still has to claim the sales at the end of the night and make up the difference out of her pocket.

They saw her sitting on her butt instead of serving them. That's what was going on. Sorry, no tip.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I would go up the ladder to the restaurant manager (I would guess that you'd worked with the shift manager) or owner (or franchise management...) and write a letter explaining your experience with the restaurant. When I was working in hotel management, I tried to make my staff realize that an experience is not something that can be "comped" away. Once an experience is ruined, no amount of free "stuff" can make up for it.

You and DH went out for an experience (and a special occasion). And not only did you not receive service from the "server", but the manager allowed the situation to continue. If the server was having personal or physical issues, he could have assigned another server to your table and just let her go home.

My first job after high school was the Woolworth's luncheon counter (and talk about poor tippers!). We had to serve tables and counter patrons, and make all of the food as well. I quickly learned that patrons would forgive any number of food delays as long as they were kept in sodas and drinks. There's no good reason for the "service" you received.

 

[mykidsand_i]

I sent an e-mail to the restaurant. Today I'll call the actual place we ate at to speak to their main manager- not the weekend one. I would have called sooner, but we just got back yesterday afternoon. We attempted to have the manager help us- and told him that we were upset with our service, but I don't think he gave a crap anyways. SO, I sent an e-mail with the time we ate there, the date, and the managers name and servers name.

I would not have said ANYTHING about the manager- or I would have even maybe complimented him in the e-mail if HE HAD ACTUALLY DONE SOMETHING about our crapy waitress! He didn't do ANYTHING, besides bring our food to our table after our complaint...so I added him to the e-mail and said exactly what happened.

We'll never know if anything actually gets taken care of, but I hope that waitress either straightens up or finds a different job.

 

[TeresaBelle]

It sounds like you had bad service but you never know what was going on with her. I always try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I will always leave atleast 15%. at the minium. If you had just left me 50 cents I would have assumed you were just cheap. It's so funny people don't understand that even if you don't leave a tip for whatever reason, The server still has to claim her amount of total sales for the shift, if people don't leave enough tip she has to make up the difference. So not only you don't tip her she still has to claim the sales at the end of the night and make up the difference out of her pocket.

Too bad...so sad...she clearly did not earn a tip, no matter what was 'going on with her'. I wouldn't have left anything!

 

[mykidsand_i]

My first job after high school was the Woolworth's luncheon counter (and talk about poor tippers!). .

I remeber the woolworth's luch counters! Oh, wow- brought back some good memories for me! Thanks! Yeah, I am sure most of the people who ate there were not great tippers!

I think that people from small mid-west towns are usually not good tippers (unless they've had waitressing experiance)...we go out to eat with my grandpa on occasion and we'll all order a meal (it'll be 5-6 people) and last time my husband and I paid for everyone and grandpa insisted he leave a tip. He layed down $1 and a bunch of loose change.

We didn't say anything to him, or get mad at him. We just put more down when he wasn't looking.

That's another thing- there are a lot of these elderly people that go out to eat (like my grandpa) who feel that they are being great when they leave a little over $1. They don't understand that it should be 15% or higher. My grandpa grew up in a small midwestern town where that was acceptable as he was growing up-
I am sure many waitresses get upset with him (and other elderly people) for not leaving enough of a tip, but he means nothing but good things by leaving even $1.
I feel bad for his waitresses.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Wow, I totally disagree with you.
I have had bad days and I can understand how they can affect you. So when I get a server who is having a bad day I can understand and relate. If I feel like a server is doing a bad job then I leave 15% and for me that is almost like leaving 50.cents. I have never understood. Would you want your boss to dock your pay if you had a bad day?

I can guarantee you that my boss would offer support if I was having a bad day, but he would still expect me to be the professional adult that I am, work through it and do my job.

And yes, I would fully expect my boss to dock my pay if I sat on a chair in my office and chit chatted with my coworkers all day instead of doing my job.

Adults with work ethics will do their job with pride and respect and do not allow "bad days" to interfere with the quality of their work.

Adults with work ethics are able to separate their personal life from their work life.

Barring a major life upheaval such as a death in the family, thinking it is ok to provide bad service due to having "bad days" is just an excuse for an immature person with a lousy work ethic.

OP, you did the right thing. And if she had to "tip out" everybody else, then so be it. It was her personal responsibility to provide even the most basic of service. If she did not, then she needs to accept the consequences.

 

[mrs_hower726]

I would've given her .02 then wrote on a note that if she wants more than that, get your lazy, cussing, complaining butt off the bar stool and do your job.

 

[dawson5]

Sounds like the waitress is in the wrong profession. Hopefully she will learn from this (and the mgmt too) and find something more suited to her strong suits. I don't know what job calls for sitting on your butt and talking to the bartender.


We actually had a waitress quit in the middle of serving our meals once. She brought out half and then we saw her walk out the door. We waited (we're old-school too, we wait until everyone has their meals before starting) and finally got a mgr over to see what was up. I think he comp'ed my hubby's meal but pretty much said the heck with the rest of us and didn't offer to even warm our meals. There were about 11 of us, three tickets. Needless to say we never went back and I believe that place closed down, it is a well-known, nationwide chain.

My brother is/was a server, he will be the first to tell you if he screwed up that badly, he wouldn't deserve a tip. He is a good one from what we've been told and seen. He's actually taken money from his own pocket and put it in the parking meter for a customer so they would not have to leave their table/meal.

 

[kellyg403]

They saw her sitting on her butt instead of serving them. That's what was going on. Sorry, no tip.

And as the customer it is not my responsibility to feel sorry for the waitress who KNOWS she has to pay taxes on the sales she has for the night. This lady had two tables. Not knowing the rest or the prices, heck for all I know she started out her shift knowing at most she would have to pay taxes on sales of 150.00 and since she has 5 kids and claims m5 dependants that could equal ZERO.

Its just not equal in my mind to expect that I should feel sorry for someone who isn't performing in their job. While I might feel sorry for the person. Its never about the 'person' its about the performance.

Kelly