Tips: entitlement or earned?

[KigerKat]

if the guests of the restaurant arent paying the servers for their service the restaurant has no choice but to start adding the gratuity. whether you like it or not. its the law that servers must be paid at least minimum wage. as a restaurant owner, if the patrons were not paying the servers what would you do? you arent going to raise your cost of food, right? no, youre going to start adding it to the check. its pretty simple.

wait...so its ok for you to say that you tip on quality of service, but not ok for me to say that if i know before hand im not being tipped that i wouldnt go above and beyond? can we say double standard? of course i would do my job and they would ahve great service, but why would i go above and beyond? for what?

If I see a gratuity being added to my bill, then I will stop going to that restaurant. So not only has the wait staff lost my tip, but the restaurant has lost my business. And a lot of people I know would do the exact same thing. It's not fair to the customer, and you are there for the customers. Isn't the customer always right?

And I fully expect to be given substandard service if I tell them up front that I will not be tipping a server what they expect. I was saying that you have a double standard for not that thinking poor service should result in a lower tip if knowing up front that if you were given a lower tip, you would provide substandard service.

As I have said before, I fully believe in tipping properly. NOT when I receive poor service, and I feel insulted when it is expected. I used to be a server, and I would NEVER expect a table to tip unless I earned it. I would hope for a great tip, but never expect it.

 

[Kycha]

We have spoken to and know servers at Disney and they hate it when they see disney dining customers. Could you imagine if tip was not included, the service would be awful. You're on an expensive vaca, tip as much as you can afford for the people who make it special.

I'm confused. I thought the tip already was no longer included on the ddp. And from what I read, it was the servers who requested that the tip no longer be included. That they felt they could get better tips than the automatic 18% gratuity.

 

[imthatgirl]

If I see a gratuity being added to my bill, then I will stop going to that restaurant. So not only has the wait staff lost my tip, but the restaurant has lost my business. And a lot of people I know would do the exact same thing. It's not fair to the customer, and you are there for the customers. Isn't the customer always right?

And I fully expect to be given substandard service if I tell them up front that I will not be tipping a server what they expect. I was saying that you have a double standard for not that thinking poor service should result in a lower tip if knowing up front that if you were given a lower tip, you would provide substandard service.

As I have said before, I fully believe in tipping properly. NOT when I receive poor service, and I feel insulted when it is expected. I used to be a server, and I would NEVER expect a table to tip unless I earned it. I would hope for a great tip, but never expect it.

you havent answered the question. what is a restaurant owner to do it the guests dont pay the servers?

who said substandard service, i said i wouldnt go above and beyond? again, why would i?

i still dont get why people think a tip shouldnt be expected? of course you are expected to tip. where did you ever get the idea you werent? you are fully aware that the restaurant is not the one providing the servers paycheck, you are. in *most* states the amount that the restaurant pays the server is what it would cost the server in taxes. you are expected to make up the rest of the paycheck.

 

[imthatgirl]

I'm confused. I thought the tip already was no longer included on the ddp. And from what I read, it was the servers who requested that the tip no longer be included. That they felt they could get better tips than the automatic 18% gratuity.

its not included. and your right it was the servers who requested it. when disney did that they all took a pay cut. its gotten much better since then.

 

[KigerKat]

you havent answered the question. what is a restaurant owner to do it the guests dont pay the servers?

who said substandard service, i said i wouldnt go above and beyond? again, why would i?

i still dont get why people think a tip shouldnt be expected? of course you are expected to tip. where did you ever get the idea you werent? you are fully aware that the restaurant is not the one providing the servers paycheck, you are. in *most* states the amount that the restaurant pays the server is what it would cost the server in taxes. you are expected to make up the rest of the paycheck.

I can only assume that poor tips are the results of poor service. If management can't afford to pay the servers, then they need to hire servers that can provide better service.

If I go to a restaurant and I receive great service, "above and beyond", then I will gladly tip anywhere from 25-30%. The earned it, they deserve it. But the should not expect that much from me.

I have to refer to the experience at the Olive Garden I posted a few pages back. According to what you believe, I should still have tipped that woman, even after everything we went through there. I think a majority of the people here would have walked out much sooner than we did.

 

[imthatgirl]

I can only assume that poor tips are the results of poor service. If management can't afford to pay the servers, then they need to hire servers that can provide better service.

If I go to a restaurant and I receive great service, "above and beyond", then I will gladly tip anywhere from 25-30%. The earned it, they deserve it. But the should not expect that much from me.

I have to refer to the experience at the Olive Garden I posted a few pages back. According to what you believe, I should still have tipped that woman, even after everything we went through there. I think a majority of the people here would have walked out much sooner than we did.

i need a "bangs head against wall" smilie.

 

[gottaluvdis]

I agree. However..many places are going to pooling tips, which I think is just lousy..the sucky servers get the same cut as the excellent ones which, IMO, takes away incentive to do a stellar job.
So..in that case you would not really be sending a message to a bad server if you didn't leave a tip.

This was unheard of back in the 80's when I was a server. The kitchen help never received tips. They were paid a straight wage (at least minimum wage, not the measly $2.00 per hour the servers were paid). I wouldn't have worked at a place that pooled tips. I don't know if that's common practice today, but I would choose a higher end, independent restaurant if I were planning to be a server today over any of those "chain" places.

 

[imthatgirl]

i dont think pooling tips is common in a restaurant. i have never met a server who was forced to pool. it would be impossible, they just wouldnt tell anyone what a table left. its common in places like dunkin donuts.
kitchen help has to be paid at least minimum. the only excepts to the law is servers. ive never heard of a cook getting a tip out.
i can only speak for my restaurant but we tip out expo's, bartenders and bussers. MA state law prohibits the restaurant from demanding what we tip out, its completely up to us.

 

[KigerKat]

i can only speak for my restaurant but we tip out expo's, bartenders and bussers. MA state law prohibits the restaurant from demanding what we tip out, its completely up to us.

But it shouldn't be up to the customers what they tip out???

I'm unsubscribing to this thread - it's pointless. People will choose to tip whatever they want, 99% of the time based on the level of service provided. I'm not changing my mind about that, and I'm not trying to change yours but it seems like you are trying to make me look like a bad guy here and I'm just expressing my opinion.

I will say it again - I believe in tipping (I used to be a server, too), but I don't believe it should be expected, let alone a certain amount automatically included in my bill no matter what kind of service I received.

Let's return to the subject of this thread: Are tips entitled or earned? I feel they are earned.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

No flames please. AGAIN, these are ideas what might be the thought behind the practice. I am not even a server, nor have I ever been one. These are just thoughts.

Personally I tip very well. I like having someone do the work for me, and I compensate them for it. I would rather go to someplace that will serve me, then to make it myself, or even serve myself at a buffet. I tip what most would call well for regular service, and tip extremely well for excellent service.

Sorry I wasn't trying to flame you. I too was using your post as an example.