Tipping overload?

[slo]

I’m showing up late to this thread…

I’m not a fan of the tip bowl to just throw money in, but I am a fan of giving someone a tip when they give good customer service.

A recent example for me….

On Thanksgiving my DD19 got our annual Thanksgiving Starbucks (we’ve been doing this for 10+ years). We place our order and DD says to me after I pay - I forgot to add xyz (I don’t remember what it was). The girl that took my order overheard and says - I can add that. I told her that I’ll give her cash for it and she says - don’t worry about it. I said thank you and DD tells me after we walk away - that was like a $1.50 add on. So I go back to the girl that took my order and told her that I want to give HER something and not the tip bowl sitting there and asked her if I can do that and she said yes. I gave her $5.00 and told her that I appreciate her good customer service and told her that she could have very easily ignored what my DD said, but instead she went out of her way to make her drink exactly how she wanted it and she’s a great example of what good customer service is. She was very grateful for the tip.

I’ve done this many times - I will always tip good customer service and I will always tell them they did a great job. I actually always carry some cash with me for this purpose. People, especially younger people, need to be shown appreciation and that their choice to give good customer service doesn’t go unnoticed.

 

[barkley]

The HOA wanted to hire a group of carolers to sing at the holiday festival. Upon discussing the fee the carolers were charging, one member wanted to add a per-person tip to the fee. The argument around the group was interesting. Many saw this as a per-hire situation, therefore no tip. The carolers are a "business" and therefore are not a "tipped" position. Others disagreed, saying that they're working hard and should be tipped. It was quite the discussion.

probably too late to do this but if your hoa wants carolers next year tell them to consider contacting a local high school. i've known high schools that hire out small choral groups (with musicians) for caroling at malls, private parties, events...it can be one of their best fund raising opportunities for underfunded music programs (and they charge far less than professional caroling groups).

 

[DCLMP]

I have no problem tipping people that serve me. The problem I have is with fast workers making 15-20 dollars an hour, yes, that is what they make in my city and then when I go to pay I get prompted to tip.

 

[EACarlson]

Or maybe even stopping by tables to ask the customers how their experience has been. Things would have to be pretty grave before I’d pull a Karen and actually ask to see a manager.

Asking to see the manager isn't the Karen move, it's what you do once the manager comes over that makes it a Karen move. Give me facts of what is wrong and I will try very hard to make it right, if you want to complain about my employees doing their job correctly we will refuse service at that point.

 

[whiteness]

I have never thought that % of food cost is really the best way of determining tip. You are at the same restaurant receiving the same service but one table buys four $50 entrees and the other four $30 entrees. Why does table one pay $40 and other only $24?

Yeah, it really doesn't make any sense. If you are paying for service, then the tip for bringing a free glass of water should be exactly the same as for an $18 mixed drink. Sure, management makes more on the mixed drink, but why is that relevant? Other hourly or salaried workers generally don't make more money if the work they did during a given day happened to net management more money.

I hate all hidden costs. With a passion. I hate that sales tax is added onto my final bill, too. Every time my final bill comes out to more than the negotiated or proposed price, no matter what the circumstances, I feel cheated. In my opinion, if I've been told something will cost me $X, that better be what it actually ends up costing me unless something has drastically and unavoidably changed about the situation. Going into a transaction knowing full well that the cost will not be $X, but telling me $X anyway, is negotiating in bad faith. If you know it won't cost me $X, then tell me what it will cost at the start, not at the end.

I believe that management should be 100% responsible for hiring workers for a fair, mutually agreed upon wage, and it's shouldn't be up to the customers to make up the difference. The price on the menu should be the full and exact price that all customers will pay, all inclusive. Nobody should ever be expected to pay more. If you get good or bad service, there should be a way to communicate that with management, and they can take care of any bonuses or training needed. Managing and motivating a private company's employees should not be my job as their customer.

Honestly, I don't know how or why this whole tipping culture started. But, if it is being used as a justification for not paying employees a living wage with proper benefits, then we are part of the problem, not the solution. We are enabling management to be stingy and unfair, while boosting their profits. That is not a good thing, and I'm really tired of people arguing that it is.

No idea why the moderators are still allowing this thread to continue, as the topic is forbidden.

 

[sam_gordon]

No idea why the moderators are still allowing this thread to continue, as the topic is forbidden

Do you have anything to back that up? Don't think I've ever heard of tipping being a banned topic.

 

[whiteness]

Do you have anything to back that up? Don't think I've ever heard of tipping being a banned topic.

 

[SirDuff]

View attachment 721598

Technically, this isn't on the restaurant board so not covered by that ban

 

[whiteness]

Technically, this isn't on the restaurant board so not covered by that ban

Well, he was a Restaurant Mod, so he may not know the policies in effect in other boards. But the level of discussion here is no different than what I saw in the thread he locked, so the same reasoning should apply. If "reasoning" is a factor in this.

 

[Gehrig1B]

The rationale behind tipping based on % of bill pre-tax seems easy to understand.

An 8-top will mean more service/work for a server than a 4-top and will almost assuredly be a much more expensive tab...

Yes, there are going to be exceptions but that is why the system is as it is.

The origins of tipping can be found in our Medieval European ancestry and its two-tiered system of lord-serf. Funny how it has now flipped and we see tipping almost non-existent (or at least very minimal) in Europe.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, he was a Restaurant Mod, so he may not know the policies in effect in other boards. But the level of discussion here is no different than what I saw in the thread he locked, so the same reasoning should apply. If "reasoning" is a factor in this.

There are different mods for different boards with different parameters to deal with that do not necessarily go to other parts of the Board (with exception to the overreaching Board rules). But for reference on the Community Board the topic has for a long time been talked about.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you are hiring a group to sing at an event don't they set the price they think is fair? Why would you tip them?

The only time I've seen that is when it's like a community tipping bucket style thing and usually goes to charity anyways rather than tips for the performers.

 

[sam_gordon]

Well, he was a Restaurant Mod, so he may not know the policies in effect in other boards. But the level of discussion here is no different than what I saw in the thread he locked, so the same reasoning should apply. If "reasoning" is a factor in this.

Sorry, nope. What you posted says they dont allow it on the reataurant boards. That doesnt mean you cant talk about it elsewhere.

There ARE topics (religion and politics to name a few) that are verboten anywhere on the site.

 

[whiteness]

The rationale behind tipping based on % of bill pre-tax seems easy to understand.

An 8-top will mean more service/work for a server than a 4-top and will almost assuredly be a much more expensive tab...

Funny how it has now flipped and we see tipping almost non-existent (or at least very minimal) in Europe.

Then, the server should present you with a separate bill for the number of guests in your party and maybe the time spent. Which would be fully disclosed up front. Yes, it sounds absurd. Because it is.

Yet another reason why I loved living in Europe. Even the VAT tax was included in the quoted prices.

 

[whiteness]

Sorry, nope. What you posted says they dont allow it on the reataurant boards. That doesnt mean you cant talk about it elsewhere.

There ARE topics (religion and politics to name a few) that are verboten anywhere on the site.

I should have said PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. I think it's awesome!

 

[focusondisney]

The rationale behind tipping based on % of bill pre-tax seems easy to understand.

An 8-top will mean more service/work for a server than a 4-top and will almost assuredly be a much more expensive tab...

Most restaurants here add an automatic service charge/ gratuity for tables over 6. So that takes care of the extra work for an 8 top. Still doesn’t explain why my party of 2 needs to pay a %. The expensive cut of beef is no more work to deliver than an less expensive chicken dish. And the soda is no more work than the cocktail, since at most restaurants both are poured by the bar staff & only delivered by the server. So again, why does the server deserve more for delivering a steak??

 

[HashberryOTG]

Most restaurants here add an automatic service charge/ gratuity for tables over 6. So that takes care of the extra work for an 8 top. Still doesn’t explain why my party of 2 needs to pay a %. The expensive cut of beef is no more work to deliver than an less expensive chicken dish. And the soda is no more work than the cocktail, since at most restaurants both are poured by the bar staff & only delivered by the server. So again, why does the server deserve more for delivering a steak??

Having been a server for a whole bunch of years as a teen and young adult, part of that is attitude and atmosphere (that doesn't account for the entirety of the difference tho). At a higher end restaurant, as a server I have to dress better, have a different attitude than your standard diner server (for example), and the diners have a different level of expectations. I'm also tipping out a percentage of my sales to the bussers, bartenders, hostesses and expediters that a small restaurant wouldn't even have on staff. While I could make great $ as a server, I'm on the side of the businesses should (in my personal opinion) pay a living wage and not leave it on the customer.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Most restaurants here add an automatic service charge/ gratuity for tables over 6. So that takes care of the extra work for an 8 top. Still doesn’t explain why my party of 2 needs to pay a %.

Sure it does. Your table of two will tip less than the table for 4 or 6 as a rule because fewer guests mean less work for the server.

I'm not disagreeing with your concerns, just explaining the historical context of the system.

Raising the prices of meals and establishing a no-tipping culture in restaurants has been tried in American restaurants many times and has failed for numerous reasons (servers hate it for one) Changing culture is not easy.

Yet another reason why I loved living in Europe. Even the VAT tax was included in the quoted prices.

I agree but most Americans want to see just what taxes are put on their bill so eliminating this has been discussed many times to no avail... flat tax, Value Added Tax, etc.

 

[disneychrista]

I hate all hidden costs. With a passion. I hate that sales tax is added onto my final bill, too. Every time my final bill comes out to more than the negotiated or proposed price, no matter what the circumstances, I feel cheated. In my opinion, if I've been told something will cost me $X, that better be what it actually ends up costing me unless something has drastically and unavoidably changed about the situation. Going into a transaction knowing full well that the cost will not be $X, but telling me $X anyway, is negotiating in bad faith. If you know it won't cost me $X, then tell me what it will cost at the start, not at the end.

Sales tax really isn't the same as some of the other fees that restaurants are charging these days. This is something out of the control of the restaurant. But fees such as the "benefits" fee, COVID fees, and the many other fees they are adding on to the bill these days. These are things I agree should just be built into the cost of the meal.

 

[tvguy]

probably too late to do this but if your hoa wants carolers next year tell them to consider contacting a local high school. i've known high schools that hire out small choral groups (with musicians) for caroling at malls, private parties, events...it can be one of their best fund raising opportunities for underfunded music programs (and they charge far less than professional caroling groups).

My thought was, why doesn't the HOA organize a gathering of residents to go caroling in the complex? Costs nothing and brings the community together.