Tipping (VENT)

[Talking Hands]

DH and I went out to dinner to a local restaurant. Food was lousy but that is beside the point. Bill came to almost $32 and I gave them $40 in 20s. First he asked if I wanted change. Yes. So he returns slowly with the change and puts it down and leaves. I look at the change and he only brought bills no coins. $7 back from a bill of <$32. I only gave him $5 for his tip. Why because he had already kept back approx $1.20 over what he gave me. I figure what he took plus the $5 was sufficient. I probably should not have given him one red penny.
The nerve of not bringing the correct change.

 

[faith]

That is odd...I think I would have asked him about the correct change.
Was the service bad? In all honesty I may have left less than you did, if so.

 

[GenePA]

You are much kinder than I. If I was already frustrated over the food and service, and I feel the waiter deliberately short-changed me, that's all they would have gotten....not a penny more. With the $1.20 + $5 you left, that's around a 20% tip....which in my opinion, is left for good service and good food. I understand that waiters and waitresses depend on tips to make a living and I generally tip very well. But both DW and I will not reward/pay for poor service....it is not acceptable.

Sorry for your experience but you were definitely too nice!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Speaking as a server....I think you were too nice also. He purposely didn't bring you back the correct change AND you left him another $5!! Hmmm, I've been waiting tables for 12 years on and off and to this day, I never tip for poor service. I have only not tipped once, but for poor service I may leave a dollar or two. For excellent service...WATCH OUT....I'm dangerous! I've tipped a waitress $6 on a $6 dollar tab!! It's what I do for a living, so I really do appreciate great service!

 

[floridaminnie]

A couple of weeks ago, my waitress kept all the change. She didn't even ask me. I was on planning on tipping her more, but she changed my mind on that one. (It was over 3 bucks she kept!)

 

[SuiteDisney]

Originally posted by GenePA
You are much kinder than I. If I was already frustrated over the food and service, and I feel the waiter deliberately short-changed me, that's all they would have gotten....not a penny more. With the $1.20 + $5 you left, that's around a 20% tip....which in my opinion, is left for good service and good food. I understand that waiters and waitresses depend on tips to make a living and I generally tip very well. But both DW and I will not reward/pay for poor service....it is not acceptable.

Sorry for your experience but you were definitely too nice!

Not if you were eating with me, Buster! First, I would have made him bring back my change - all of it! Then I would have complained to the manager. I would have pointed out that what the waiter tried to do is called stealing. And I wouldn't have left him anything. Zilch, zero, zippo.

If it was just poor service without the stealing, I would not have left over 15% and perhaps less, if the service was bad enough.

 

[Nutsy]

I'm so glad we don't tip over here. It was terrilby hard when we visited DL last year to figure out who & what to tip

We are just so unacustomed to this pracitce that we had to watch what others did so we knew what to do ourselves

 

[onecoolmama]

I have done the exact opposite. I waitressed for 6-7 years while i was in high school and college. One night my sophmore in college, I was exhausted. I was carrying 18 credit hours and we were short staffed at the restaurant..so i was pulling 50-60 hours that week. Anyway, this lady gave me a $100 bill and her meal was $25..her friend gave me $30 not and her meal was $25. I gave them both back the $75.

I learned a very valuable lesson that night..when I was given cash..I usually checked with another wait person to see if I was giving the correct change..especailly if I was tired!

Luckily, I made $105 in tips that night..so I walked away with $30..in my pocket. It makes me ill not only that I did that, but the person didn't have the dencency to tell me. Oh well, what can you do. But I always brought the right change back and sometimes even a lot more

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by onecoolmama
I gave them both back the $75.

OUCH!!! Been there, done that, got that t-shirt about two times too many. I've never given back that much change, I had two different tables pay me with $100 and $50 bills and somewhere down the line I just gave one of them too much change. Just like you, no one was honest enough to tell me so.

 

[Grog]

Luckily, I made $105 in tips that night..so I walked away with $30

I can't stand dishonest people like the ones you gave too much change back to. Don't worry though, karma will catch up to them, if it hasn't already. You may not be there to see it, but what goes around comes around

 

[Cinders]

So he returns slowly with the change and puts it down and leaves. I look at the change and he only brought bills no coins. $7 back from a bill of <$32. I only gave him $5 for his tip. Why because he had already kept back approx $1.20 over what he gave me.

How sad that you rewarded a person for stealing.

 

[FreshTressa]

A couple of friends and I were just talking about this last night. Of the group of 7 of us, it had happened to 3, where they just bring back the dollars, and not the coins!!

Don't they know they are just making people angry and are not going to make more money that way??

I am so tired of angry service people begging for their coins in tips. I have worked as a waitress before, and if you provide good service, 95% of the time you are more than compensated for your efforts. There are a few rude people, but for the most part, people tip correctly.

Now, maybe these waiters know they are bad at their job and have to STEAL to make a living!

I bet those are the same kind that spit in your food.

 

[Lorix2]

I am a server and always give back the coins - to the penny because that IS their change. Also, as a safeguard, even if I can do it in my head, I always punch in the computer what was given to me for cash and the computer will tell me the change to give back - I always use this function.

We have to carry our own banks and the computer is just for record keeping, I always round up though. If their change is $27.73 and i don't have any coins and too busy to bother other servers, I give them $28.00. TIPS: To Insure Prompt/Proper Service.

Sorry you had a bad experience.

 

[Keli]

I have never had a server that gave me good service keep part/all of my change. I think they realize that they gave good service and should receive a good tip. I did have a bad server do it one time and I think that wasn't a coincidence, I'm sure she knew she had done a horrible job with our table and was worried she wouldn't get a tip at all. The thing is she didn't bring me any change, I had to ask for it and it came to about 35% of my bill so she was giving herself a generous tip. When I asked for it she said "Oh I assumed the change was going to be my tip".

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would do what Suite Disney would do and probably on top of that complained to the manager that the food was lousy on top of that.

 

[Pin Wizard]

After asking him where the rest of the change was, I would have mentioned it to the manager. Is it just a FL thing or are the wait staff rude all over the country? This is the only place I've encountered them asking if I need change back! How rude!

Yesterday DS got his haircut because this week is school pictures. I told the hairdresser that I wanted a "conservative" cut...nothing that "sticks up." She butchered him! Made the back way too short, in the wrong shape, and she stuck gel in the front and had it sticking straight up! NO TIP for her! Why can't they get it right??????????????????????????

 

[pamlet]

I work on the premise that things have not changed...

10% if there's SOME service/but not quite up to par (I've only "stiffed" someone once - see below)
15% for average service
20% for good service
maybe more for OUTSTANDING service

Now - if I'd had lousy service and they'd kept the change... I'd ask for the change - then probably leave nothing. And talk to the manager.

Years ago I had occasion to take 3 12-13 year old boys to a VERY pricey steakhouse. (it was a reward for 3 of my paper carriers that had done an outstanding job for me) This particular place had the waitress bring the menus - she did not even ask - and brought the boys kids menus. I had request adult menus. She ignored us - paying attention to a group of business men who were drinking. They had constant attention and we forever had to ask for soda refills/etc. Ok - I know a table w/teenagers can be a pain in the neck - but she did not even make an ATTEMPT to be pleasant - in fact she was RUDE. To the point of saying to one of the boys that he was asking for too much soda, and to another one that she'd get more rolls when she got around to it. (Then proceeded to go to the table of businessmen and chat/giggle/flirt - she was constantly at their table). Other tables in her section had to keep flagging her down as well as us.

After the meal - she said she'd be the cashier - I paid her the cash, and advised her that my husband was a waiter at another restaurant in town - and had we had gotten good service she would have gotten at least 20.00 on the 100.00 plus tab - If she'd had given us 1/2 the attention and service that she had given the other table she could have made 25.00. I pointed out where she was rude, and told her that I would not be tipping her at all. I also spoke to the manager.

I took the boys over to my husbands restaurant for dessert (of course they were treated like kings...

Actually it was a pretty good object lesson for the boys - as they were there for a reward for good work they had done - and saw how poor service can make people feel. I think it was the ONLY time I have never tipped a server.

 

[Poohnatic]

You were actually pretty generous, Lisa.

I've grown up in the restaurant business. Both my parents worked in it, and all of my siblings. I finally became a server when #2 was born for a year, because I could work 3 nights and bring home decent money.

That said, I never would assume what any guest wanted to tip. The ONLY time I did not bring change back is if the guest specifically said "the rest is yours". I've had professionals leave the .02 from a 19.98 check (with very good service, they even mentioned to the manager) and a table that didn't get my best (for which I apologized profusely) leave me 35%. My rule is if I didn't have the proper coin, and the bar was too busy to give me change, I rounded up the change to the next dollar, like Tressa.

Good service deserves reward, but dishonesty does not. In that situation, I would have talked to the manager.

Suzanne

 

[Pin Wizard]

Both my sisters were waitresses way back when. One did it because she made more $$ than she ever did working in an office. The other did it while going to school. I remember her coming home one night excited about a $50 tip! Some guy ordered a salad, sandwich, and a drink and left a $50 bill in a glass of water turned upside down on the table. LOL! He told her that if she wanted to get it, it was hers. She didn't hesitate!