Tipping suggestion on receipt

[Dan Murphy]

When posts are edited, the quote is changed, too.

Really? Did not know that.

Then why is there "the rule"?

Kind of agree with your thought.

It's a relatively new thing, with the recent new software they're using.

I wish I could test that. If you could, can you type something, anything, then I quote, then you change yours?

 

[disneychrista]

I wish I could test that. If you could, can you type something, anything, then I quote, then you change yours?

I just edited my post that you quoted Dan and it didn't change your quote.

 

[Cadiewampus]

In my opinion, those suggestions basically serve two purposes. The first one is to make the math easier for everyone, because, you know, math is hard. The second is to try to guilt people into thinking 18-20% isn't acceptable anymore, when it is.

Yep tough to move those decimal points around.

 

[ImDMous]

I guess we are lucky where we live. We go to Olive Garden and Chili's frequently (they are both pretty close to our house and everyone can find something they like). We get the rare occasion with less then great service but for the most part everyone is pleasant, prompt and enjoyable. Lots of refills always.

I can remember 2 times in my life that we left a very small or non-existent tip. Both were at more upscale chains and both were very deserved...

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Do you not tip because they make an hourly wage (meaning at least full minimum wage) or because you don't feel they are providing "service" above doing their job? What about states (like California) that servers are paid at least full minimum wage? Should tipping being different in those states?

That would be like tipping at McDonalds in my opinion. At Panera they take your order and get you your bagel. They earn a decent hourly wage for hs/college kids why should they be tipped for what is expected of them? Same at the Dairy Queen. They are hs kids getting an hourly wage taking my money in exchange for an ice cream cone. They are not going above and beyond to do so. I just watn to know since when has it become ok to beg for tips vs getting them because you have done a bag up job servicing me?

 

[disneychrista]

That would be like tipping at McDonalds in my opinion. At Panera they take your order and get you your bagel. They earn a decent hourly wage for hs/college kids why should they be tipped for what is expected of them? Same at the Dairy Queen. They are hs kids getting an hourly wage taking my money in exchange for an ice cream cone. They are not going above and beyond to do so. I just watn to know since when has it become ok to beg for tips vs getting them because you have done a bag up job servicing me?

I agree that counter service employees shouldn't be tipped. But if servers are earning the same wage as the counter service employees why should they be tipped?

 

[ReneeA]

Does that two week check include the tips? Officially, employers are supposed to cover up to the minimum wage if the tipped employee is not making minimum wage with tips. (In practice, many people are fearful of losing their jobs if they complain.)

By law, they are supposed to bring her up to minimum wage if she didn't bring in that many tips (and assess hourly, not the total divided by hours per shift), then tax on that. The reality is that they don't do it properly, she gets taxed on minimum wage, and there's many hours (she works a lot of closing shifts when there's few tables) that she makes under $5 an hour. The staff chooses not to rock the boat, so it continues.

 

[ReneeA]

One of my best friends is a server at Texas Roadhouse. In KY, server wage is $2.13. She reports her cash tips daily so that she pays the correct taxes on those, so when she actually gets her "paycheck", it is almost always $0. She is solely supporting her family off her tips.

Oh, for sure...I think that's the situation with most servers. It's why I tip at least 20% - we can afford it, and they work hard for those tips. The extra few dollars a week is not going to make one bit of difference to me (let's be honest, it doesn't to most people who eat out frequently), but makes a huge difference to servers with a family to feed.

My daughter's biggest complaint is when customers go out of their way to be complimentary, super nice to her, then throw down $2 for a $30 bill. They aren't unhappy with her service - they're just being cheap. Oh, then she's gotta tip her busser out of that 6% tip. Those people are the ones I want to stay home and eat.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I just edited my post that you quoted Dan and it didn't change your quote.

Thanks, DC. I did not think it would change.

 

[Kestryl]

Oh, for sure...I think that's the situation with most servers. It's why I tip at least 20% - we can afford it, and they work hard for those tips. The extra few dollars a week is not going to make one bit of difference to me (let's be honest, it doesn't to most people who eat out frequently), but makes a huge difference to servers with a family to feed.

My daughter's biggest complaint is when customers go out of their way to be complimentary, super nice to her, then throw down $2 for a $30 bill. They aren't unhappy with her service - they're just being cheap. Oh, then she's gotta tip her busser out of that 6% tip. Those people are the ones I want to stay home and eat.

Your daughter’s biggest complaint should be with the scum employer who is not ensuring she is paid minimum wage. (I’m assuming she doesn’t fall into a youth minimum wage, though maybe her employer is taking advantage of her through that.)

I wish more people felt empowered to fight back against these types of situations.

 

[ReneeA]

Your daughter’s biggest complaint should be with the scum employer who is not ensuring she is paid minimum wage. (I’m assuming she doesn’t fall into a youth minimum wage, though maybe her employer is taking advantage of her through that.)

I wish more people felt empowered to fight back against these types of situations.

For sure. She doesn't want to piss of the other girls she works with, so she won't rock the boat though.

I'm not a huge fan of the shady employer, but I'm also not a fan of the customers who decide not to tip. Unfortunately, that's the way our restaurant system is structured, so suck it up and tip appropriately for good service.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

By law, they are supposed to bring her up to minimum wage if she didn't bring in that many tips (and assess hourly, not the total divided by hours per shift), then tax on that. The reality is that they don't do it properly, she gets taxed on minimum wage, and there's many hours (she works a lot of closing shifts when there's few tables) that she makes under $5 an hour. The staff chooses not to rock the boat, so it continues.

You are incorrect on the law. Tip credit is NOT supposed to be calculated hourly. Frankly, that would be next to impossible to do anyway because of the nature of table turnover. In a server's first hour of work, they may have 5 tables, but it's highly likely those tables won't pay their bill and thus leave a tip until the server's second hour of work. That doesn't mean the employer must pay full minimum wage during that hour.

The tip credit is calculated per payweek. Most, if not all, restaurants will have servers claim their tips daily as it is easiest to do. At the end of the week, the total tips are calculated by the employer based on what the employee reported and added to the hourly rate. That is then divided by the number of hours in the payweek that the employer worked. As long as the average hourly TOTAL pay for the entire payweek is equal to or greater than minimum wage, then the employer does not need to do anything. The employer would only be responsible for increasing the employee's pay if their tips+ hourly wage averaged for the entire week was less than minimum wage.

Assuming your DD works 4-5 hour shifts (standard in restaurants for minors), and she's making $30-$40 in tips per shift, plus the ~$14-18 hourly pay that shift, it sounds like she's averaging more than minimum wage.

And the taxes she pays are be based on everything she makes- hourly wage plus tips. Servers are required to report all tips (including cash tips) and pay taxes on all tips, even when it exceeds minimum wage (which is essentially always the case).

 

[shh]

There was a time when 10% was acceptable, then it wasn't and 15% was the new acceptable. Then 18% was acceptable. Now it's 20%. Tomorrow it will be 22%.

This is really true - I've always tipped 20% for decent service my entire life and felt pretty good about leaving an above-average tip. Now that's viewed as "average" and expectations keep creeping upward. I've been upping things a bit to 22% or so, just because I feel for the servers who have to deal with so many jerks. My DH was a server for several years.

But part of me also resents the continuous creep in expectations- especially as restaurant bills go up as well. But the real reason I truly HATE the tipping system and wish we were more like Europe and Australia in that respect, is because people like me who tip always bear the lion's share of the staffing cost, subsidizing service for all the ones who don't. That really bothers me.

Same with cruise ships - passengers brag on facebook and cruise sites all the time about how they proudly REMOVE auto gratuities and either don't tip at all or only tip the people who "serve" them like a dining room waiter - ignoring the fact that those grats also go to dishwashers, laundry people and so many others toiling 18 hrs a day behind the scenes they don't see that are making their trip special. So again, the rest of us subsidize their service.

Anti-tippers always answer that by saying it's the employers' issue - and I should do something about that - but what realistically can I do? I can stop eating out for the rest of my life- nothing will change. Restaurant owners aren't giving up profits voluntarily.

The only way this ever has any hope of being solved is with legislative action mandating that everyone - including servers - earns the full legal minimum wage automatically and any tips beyond that represents extra for above avg service. One day I hope that will happen - I'd happily pay a higher restaurant bill knowing that every other guest is paying their fair share too.

 

[ReneeA]

You are incorrect on the law. Tip credit is NOT supposed to be calculated hourly. Frankly, that would be next to impossible to do anyway because of the nature of table turnover. In a server's first hour of work, they may have 5 tables, but it's highly likely those tables won't pay their bill and thus leave a tip until the server's second hour of work. That doesn't mean the employer must pay full minimum wage during that hour.

The tip credit is calculated per payweek. Most, if not all, restaurants will have servers claim their tips daily as it is easiest to do. At the end of the week, the total tips are calculated by the employer based on what the employee reported and added to the hourly rate. That is then divided by the number of hours in the payweek that the employer worked. As long as the average hourly TOTAL pay for the entire payweek is equal to or greater than minimum wage, then the employer does not need to do anything. The employer would only be responsible for increasing the employee's pay if their tips+ hourly wage averaged for the entire week was less than minimum wage.

Assuming your DD works 4-5 hour shifts (standard in restaurants for minors), and she's making $30-$40 in tips per shift, plus the ~$14-18 hourly pay that shift, it sounds like she's averaging more than minimum wage.

And the taxes she pays are be based on everything she makes- hourly wage plus tips. Servers are required to report all tips (including cash tips) and pay taxes on all tips, even when it exceeds minimum wage (which is essentially always the case).

That's interesting. I thought Michigan mandated that minimum wage be met for each hour worked. She does make at least minimum wage per shift, and has many good tippers. The shoddy ones stand out along with the great ones for her, unfortunately.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

That's interesting. I thought Michigan mandated that minimum wage be met for each hour worked. She does make at least minimum wage per shift, and has many good tippers. The shoddy ones stand out along with the great ones for her, unfortunately.

I understand. I'm from MI and was a server a few years ago. I had a 5 hr shift once where I made $9 in tips (crazy slow and got stiffed on one check), and it was a little frustrating knowing I had made less than min wage that shift... but when all my tips/pay was averaged for the whole week, I still made far above minimum wage. Tell your DD not to let the bad ones get to her. All she can do is try her best and be kind, and sometimes that perseverance through the tough customers can pay off.

We had a couple that came into the restaurant regularly and all the servers hated getting them because they had a complicated order that they always sent back numerous times, were crotchety people, chain-smoked (this was shortly before the ban), and would tip at most $2 (oftentimes stiffing the server instead). It took me a couple times serving them and copious notes left taped to my order pad so I could remember in the future, but I managed to win them over. I figured out exactly how limp they wanted their bacon, how many extra scoops of butter for the pancakes, the perfect doneness for their eggs, etc and knew before taking the order out if it wasn't going to be to their liking so I'd have the cook re-do it. I finally managed to get them exactly what they wanted one day, no complaints, and they left me $4, giving me a raised eyebrow and a half-smile as they walked out.

After that, they began coming in a couple times a week, always asking in advance what days I'd be working so they could request me. They always left $5, never complained, and were the sweetest couple ever. They praised me to my manager, which resulted in me getting as much work as I wanted (hired in for 12-16 hrs and worked 35-39 hrs most weeks which I loved), as well as the most lucrative shifts. I ended up selling them my car when I left for Boot Camp and they sent me cards and letters while I was there that I still have today. They were such sweet people once I got to know them, and I am so glad that I did.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

Your daughter’s biggest complaint should be with the scum employer who is not ensuring she is paid minimum wage. (I’m assuming she doesn’t fall into a youth minimum wage, though maybe her employer is taking advantage of her through that.)

I wish more people felt empowered to fight back against these types of situations.

I don't think the patrons are any better than the employer by being horrible tippers.

If they want to make a stand, they should start banning restaurants. They should not be taking it out on the wait staff.

If nobody came, that would get the employer's attention. The employer doesn't care about their staff.

 

[ronandannette]

Oh, for sure...I think that's the situation with most servers. It's why I tip at least 20% - we can afford it, and they work hard for those tips. The extra few dollars a week is not going to make one bit of difference to me (let's be honest, it doesn't to most people who eat out frequently), but makes a huge difference to servers with a family to feed.

My daughter's biggest complaint is when customers go out of their way to be complimentary, super nice to her, then throw down $2 for a $30 bill. They aren't unhappy with her service - they're just being cheap. Oh, then she's gotta tip her busser out of that 6% tip. Those people are the ones I want to stay home and eat.

That system seems crazy. Your daughter should get a job in fast food or retail. Unless of course, she generally does make more by waiting tables than she would from a regular, minimum wage job. Anybody waiting tables under those conditions must be doing it for some reason.

 

[ReneeA]

That system seems crazy. Your daughter should get a job in fast food or retail. Unless of course, she generally does make more by waiting tables than she would from a regular, minimum wage job. Anybody waiting tables under those conditions must be doing it for some reason.

She's 16 and 3 of her friends also work there.

What can I say? She's a very shy kid, and waiting tables has really made her work at opening up and talking to strangers, so in that aspect it's been good.

We've added up tips and wages since she started, and she's averaged just shy of $11 an hour, above minimum wage.

That still doesn't mean it's ok to tip extremely low when you do receive good service though, does it?

ETA: I still stand by my statement that *most* patrons can throw down a few extra bucks to tip well if they can afford to go out to eat. We have (an archaic) system in this country. Eat counter service places if you don't want to follow the system.

 

[Skywalker]

She's 16 and 3 of her friends also work there.

What can I say? She's a very shy kid, and waiting tables has really made her work at opening up and talking to strangers, so in that aspect it's been good.

We've added up tips and wages since she started, and she's averaged just shy of $11 an hour, above minimum wage.

That still doesn't mean it's ok to tip extremely low when you do receive good service though, does it?

Sorry I know you quoted Ronandannette, but I will still give my two cents. I think that you, as her mom, have no way of knowing if a customer has or has not received good service. That is up to each customer to decide. And tipping is still discretionary so if someone chooses to tip extremely low, well, that is their money and that is the chance you take by working in a tipped position. I have no doubt that if your daughter is a good server, the few low tippers are more than made up for by the people who feel obligated to tip 25% or something.

To me, this "expected" tipping for the bare minimum was the vanguard of entitlement culture. If I give you cash and you are not happy with the amount of cash I have given you, please feel free to return my cash to me.

 

[ReneeA]

Sorry I know you quoted Ronandannette, but I will still give my two cents. I think that you, as her mom, have no way of knowing if a customer has or has not received good service. That is up to each customer to decide. And tipping is still discretionary so if someone chooses to tip extremely low, well, that is their money and that is the chance you take by working in a tipped position. I have no doubt that if your daughter is a good server, the few low tippers are more than made up for by the people who feel obligated to tip 25% or something.

To me, this "expected" tipping for the bare minimum was the vanguard of entitlement culture. If I give you cash and you are not happy with the amount of cash I have given you, please feel free to return my cash to me.

Yes, I'm certain that the tipping culture in this country (started generations ago) is the reason behind the entitlement attitude now.