Tipping for bad service

[monty]

I realise it is the custom to tip in your country for services ( I'm from Australia and here it's considered a bonus rather than an expectation ), but at the risk of sounding petty, do people really tip for BAD service. Elsewhere on this site I came accross a tipping chart and as a guide it was suggested a 15% tip for good service, 20% for outstanding service and 10% or less for bad service. eg given as tip $5.00 for a bill coming to $100.
I do not wish to offend anyone, but if you receive BAD service, why would you tip anything? I'd be interested to know what others opinions are on this?

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Alot of people on this board, tip no matter what, bad service or not. I am not one of them. I will tip the expected amount if I get the service I believe I should and more for outstanding. But I will not tip, if I get bad service, at WDW or anywhere.

 

[scrapperjill]

I have to go along with the previous poster...I won't tip for bad service...WDW or not....and I don't feel it should be expected. IMO...your tipping on service recieved. But from the sounds of others on this board...I'm in the minority....after reading other threads some people will tip ALOT no matter what. . But don't feel obligated to tip even the suggested amounts....tip what YOU feel they deserve...more or less.

 

[Uncleromulus]

monty:
You are right-most people DO tip for bad service and on the face of it, it's probably the wrong thing to do.
I find myself tipping even after bad service (tho NOT 20%) --I guess it's me still feeling a little sorry for the servers who don't make a whole lot of $$.
I really can't explain it otherwise--.

 

[bicker]

I won't tip for horrible service. However, service is almost never a black-and-white situation. Good service gets 15%, so a little less than good gets 14%, and a little less than that gets 13%, etc. So there is a significant amount of "less than good" service from that 15% mark down to 0%. Also, it is important to remember that you need to give management an opportunity to address the short-comings of the service you're receiving. If the service wasn't bad enough to have called management over mid-meal, then it wasn't bad enough to give no tip.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I tend to tip in a 10% to 20% range. There are times when I will tip outside of this range, either above or below. If I do tip outside my normal range I will usually have a discussion with the restaurant's manager explaining what I did and why.

 

[Kaycee]

To me, service that would be bad enough to justify leaving no tip at all would be if the server was outright rude. This has very rarely happened to me, and when it has, I have left no tip. Most of the time, "bad" service has been more along the lines of negligent service; not having drinks refilled, mistakes made in the order that were clearly the fault of the server not being attentive, little or no communication from the server. Those are the instances that I think of when I see the reduced tipping amounts on the chart.

In this country, servers rely heavily on tips to make a living. Service can vary very widely, and tip amounts should be adjusted accordingly. The tipping chart is just a general guide to indicate how the tip amount could be adjusted based on service. People often ask for opinions on this subject, which is why the tipping chart was created. However, it is by no means written in stone, and everyone must decide how much to tip for themselves.

 

[san4u2]

I waited on tables in a tourist town for many years and yes they do rely on tips to help them bring the pay up to minimum wage. However their pay is merit pay. If I get bad service I am not tipping and I will let the manager know. This way if it is not all the waiter/waitress' fault ie they have a slow bartenter, new cook, some one in the back is not doing their job the manager can take care of the problem before some one else suffers too. However I don't base my tips on things that are out of the waiters hands, bad food, bad location (by kitchen), or rude patrons in the resturaunt. I will however tip very well for anything above and beyond.

 

[sleepydog25]

I will however tip very well for anything above and beyond

This is a good point often overlooked by many patrons. Just as poor service--that is the fault of the server, not the kitchen--should be penalized with a low tip, exemplary service should be rewarded. Generally speaking, I rarely get abominable service nor outstanding service. When I do get awful service, I will leave a tip of a few pennies and speak to the manager. According to several servers with whom I've been acquainted, leaving two or three cents tells the server that his/her efforts were severely lacking. It also assures them that you didn't simply forget to leave a tip.

Personally, I'm not a proponent of the "no tip for poor service" thinking. If you did get your food (albeit slowly), did get refills (though with a few urgings), and had basic needs filled (however slowly), then those are actions for which you didn't have to get up out of your seat to do. In those instances where service is lacking, but not downright awful, then I will leave a small tip. If the service is completely lacking or if the server is rude or churlish, then I revert to the manager/2-penny idea above. On the flip side, if the service was topnotch, then I tell the server so and leave a hefty tip. Just food for thought. aw:

 

[Lewisc]

Slow service, particularly if the restaurant is packed, is a reason for a lower tip.

The waiter said the soup of the day was lentil soup which I ordered. I was served clam chowder. It was OK so I eat it. When the waiter came by I told him the soup wasn't lentil soap. He insisted that it was, continued to argue with me and said since I ate it must have been lentil. He asked why I didn't say anything before I finished it. I told him I was hungry, he didn't come to ask how it was and I didn't think I had to find him. Later in the meal he came back and said when he asked the chef what the soup was the chef wouldn't respond so he assumed I was right.

When the waiter presented the check I noticed that he didn't so much as comp the coffee. The soup was included with the meal. He got no tip, not because he got the soup wrong but because he argued with me and had a horrible attitude about it.

 

[shellybaxter]

I'm a good tipper. Generally 20% for most places. I rarely have service I'm not happy with. When I do I drop the tip down to 15%. But thinking about this process makes me a little angry. The food at WDW isn't particularly cheap. I wouldn't call it a "good deal". Its usually more than comparable food offsite, or near my home. Why am I not only being asked, but expected, to increase my bill by 15, 20, sometimes even, 25% to pay a servers salary?? I understand how the laws work, I just don't understand why we as a society let it happen. As the director of a preschool, society would never let me get away with paying my teachers 20% less and expecting parents to "tip" the rest. Why do we allow it in restaurants? I'm a little offended by attitudes that I have to tip because servers are paid small salaries. It really doesn't matter to me whether they make $2 an hour or $20, if they give good service I'll tip them. By reverse logic, if they give bad service I shouldn't tip them, and I think maybe thats what I'll be doing from now on.

Shelly

 

[disnut8]

Here's what I learned from a great truck stop diner waitress. She said that if the service is poor, don't not tip. Then the server will think you just forgot. If the service is bad, leave a token tip. Four quarters or something. Just to let the person know that you weren't satisfied.

My husband will tip everyone all the time. Even if the service is bad. Last night, we were in a place that was crazy since everyone arrived at the same time for trivia night. Our waiter served our partners drinks and then disappeared when a bigger table presented themselves. Fortunately, we've been going to this place for a long time and got our favorite waitress to come over and serve us herself. Did we tip her and big time? You better believe it. The other guy got nothing from us and ended up not having that many tables by the end of the evening.

Tipping is an American thing, I believe, and it's something we have to deal with. Being a server is something I could never do. I don't have the customer service skills for it and I forget everything in about two minutes after walking away if I don't write it down. I'd be horrible at it. And the servers aren't covered under the minimum wage law either. Restaurants pay them whatever they want. Unless there's a huge reform coming (and I doubt it), that's the way it's always going to be.

 

[jana]

I could quote individual bits from pretty much the whole of sleepydogs post, so I'll just say I agree with almost everything said.

I do take into consideration that there are things out of the control of the waitstaff so it would be VERY rare for me to not tip between 10-15% due to sub par service. In cheaper places (like a diner, Denny's IHOP etc) I would usually go more than 15-20% because I think mostly those staff work BLOODY hard for their $5-10 per table. In more expensive places ( like most WDW restaurants) I expect a better level of service. IMHO a guest should get better service if they are paying $100 for a meal than if they are paying $25.

A waiter would have to be incompetent, rude or just plain lazy for me to drop below 10%, although this has happened on occassions. Again like Sleepydog I have found the leaving a few pennies REALLY will get the message home because it shows you actually thought about the tip and were making a point about the service. For a non american leaving no tip doesn't tell the server they weren't up to the job, they just think you're nation are cheap and ignorant (that's not a critisism of Aussies who I think are great, sorry to hear about the cricket loss by 2 runs ) A poor waiter is more likely to blame the customer for not understanding the system than face up to their own short comings. The Brit's in particular, suffer from this, because they tend to suffer in silence and think leaving no tip gets the point across. The best way to send a message to the individual is to leave a VERY small amount of change (one or two pennies) and also say something to the manager. For great service both a good tip and a word to the manager are also a good idea.

I still can't get my head round the tipping aspect for wine though. There is no difference in the job performed in bringing a $20 bottle of wine than a $200 bottle so why should one be worth $3 and the other be worth $30.



On the wider issue of tipping, I do think that the price of food has risen at a faster rate than "average wages" and that the standard tipping amount has also risen. If you go back 20 years it used to be 10-15% was suggested, 10 years ago it was 12.5-15% , 5 years ago 15-17.5% ALL FOR GOOD SERVICE, now those little cards suggest 15-20% and it has become if you leave less than 15% even for average service you're seen as a cheapskate. In a busy mid level to high end restaurant any waiter getting 15-20% is getting GOOD MONEY. I'll accept it's not an easy job, but in an area like Disney where they are waiting 3-4 tables, the turn over is about an hour a table, they are busy all shift and average bill is $100+ the earning potential can easily be $60-80 per hour.
I know there are some waitstaff that work VERY hard and get little financial reward for it, but I'm also sure there are a lot of people that work in popular restaurants that do VERY VERY well out of their occupation. I don't buy into the myth that all waitstaff are poorly paid.

 

[pyrxtc]

Slow service, particularly if the restaurant is packed, is a reason for a lower tip.
.

If the restaraunt is packed then slow service is not the waiters fault and they should not be held responsible.

I alwys tip at 15% or so. If the service was outstanding, we may go a dollar or two extra. If they have to write out more than one bill for the table, then they get a large tip. I have also left no tip, which means I leave like 4 cents under or in my water glass. I know rude but if I did that, it was for rude service.

I am always super nice to waiters/tresses since they do have my food and I don't want any surprises in it or on it.

 

[Thumper's Tara]

I just wanted to add...please don't penalize the server for things out of their control. They can't control the restaurant being packed, they can't control where you are seated, and they can't control what the kitchen does.

Having waited tables and bartended in previously "life", I know that these people work very hard for their money. If they handle the situation with grace and do their job, please tip them!

Also, please be aware that in some restuarants, servers are required to tip out a certain % of their sales - normally 3-4% of their sales. I am not saying this is a reason to change your tipping practices, but please be aware.

That being said, because I was a server, I am probably harder on my servers! One of my biggest pet-peeves is to have an empty water glass. However, I am more likely to tip 10-15% and comment to a manager about poor service than leave nothing at all. A server can't improve if she/he doesn't know what she/he did wrong.

ttfn,
TT

 

[eeyore45]

I just like to add that with the dining plan, a tip is included. I also agree with most posters response to tipping here... altho I used to think leaving a token tip of a few quarters would let them know of "poor" service, nope, it doesnt, the only thing that does is notifying management, or putting it in writing!!

I was in Mystic CT, and had a horrible server, I was shocked but some things were out of her control (the pancake was burned beyond reason) but I wasnt going to complain - until she gave an EYEROLL at my friend for asking for her cup of coffee!! That set me over the edge "did you just roll your eyes at her?" of course the waitress denied it, but two other patrons came over and said she was negative (as they were leaving!) to that I did ask for a manager - but my list of complaints had grown, before I got to them the manager just comped my bill, and we left (as my gf was afraid of my tirade I suppose!! )

So, who knows if it matters, but leaving a penny, or a quarter doesnt necessarily mean the waitstaff will read your mind. A well voiced or written list ---

 

[missypie]

If I leave a low tip because of bad service, I leave a note to that effect, lest they think I'm just cheap. I want them to know what was wrong.

 

[LoraJ]

If the restaraunt is packed then slow service is not the waiters fault and they should not be held responsible.

I agree. I once went to a restaurant the dya before 4th of July. There was ONE waitress there and the place was packed. All of these tables kept sending her to get beer, beer and more beer. So, we did a lot of waiting around. I felt so bad for her. My friends that I was with were peeved and left her $1. I think she tried her best and I dropped down another $5 and my friends got mad at me for it.

 

[Lewisc]

A busy restaurant should have enough waiters. I don't care how busy the restaurant or waiter is I expect at least an attempt to make sure my water and drinks are refilled as necessary. I also expect some comment like sorry we're short staffed and an attempt to give good service. If service is very slow than something should be comped, a drink, an appetizer or even coffee.

I was having lunch at one of the chain restaurants, maybe Applebees. I asked my waiter for a drink refill. Nothing. Asked again 10 minutes later when my lunch was served. Nothing. I finished half my lunch at this point we had finished our water. Restaurant wasn't that filled. I finally flagged down a manager. A few minutes later my waiter showed up with water and soda. He yelled at me and said something like, I said I'd bring you soda. I said it would have been nice to get it before I finished my lunch.

Very low tip. An apology would have worked. Even an explanation, I was on the phone with my sick mother the bus boy was supposed to refill your drinks I didn't realize it wasn't done. But to yell at me because I had the nerve to complain. We're tipping for service. I think this was probably one of two times in my lifetime that I gave virtually no tip.

 

[lovmy2girls]

It all depends on the situation and server. Example, at the Norway breakfast, our service was slow-bad. We watched and it was because he had so many tables to cover. My husband and I figured he was doing the job of 3 servers. I do not think it was his fault he was overworked. We gave the 20% tip even if we didn't get our juice filled up right away or extra bacon, jelly, or extra water pronto. He did get it to us and I think he was doing his very best. This is his living and he was doing the job. Thats just our thought on that subject.

Now, for someone who just ignores us and is not busy and is slow about filling our drinks etc....They get a tip that is appropriate.