Rant: Tip Culture

[Gashouse]

Coffee - no. I almost always just get a straight coffee that's already overpriced at $2. And if you tip just 15% on a $2 cup of coffee, you almost look worse than not tipping at all. But I always pay with a card and I usually don't have to sign the slip.

Take out - ~10% or more depending on how often I frequent them and/or if it's a family business. the Chinese place we order from all the time - definitely tip every time. Pizza places - almost never unless it's not a chain.

[haltz]

I don't blame people for not tipping on carry out, because it's basically counter service, but I always leave something and you really should. Especially at restaurants that don't do it as a main component of their business, it's a huge pain in the ass. I'd much rather serve someone a plate of food than properly put together a big to go order. One of my favorite parts of my job is when a customer comes to the bar looking to order take out and I direct them to the host stand.

[tlombard]

I've gotten really annoyed with the way Grubhub and some restaurants have it set up so that the only way you can add a tip with a credit/debit card is to decide what it is and include it up front when the order is placed or else tip in cash. I have no idea if I am going to get my food and find stuff missing, it might take two hours, or whatever so I shouldn't have to decide on the tip yet.

And then there is also the flip side that I hate about tipping on delivery orders, just because the food is late or cold doesn't mean it is the driver's fault. They could do everything the same as they have for every other order in history but if the kitchen is backed up the food is late. If the kitchen is putting out more food than they can deliver it might be cold. That isn't the driver's fault and they are the only ones working for tips, not the people in the kitchen. So I don't feel right not tipping or tipping less when there is something late/wrong.

Just freaking pay people a decent wage and let me decide if I want to tip or not but I'm a little fed up with everyone expecting a tip these days.

The argument that prices would go up and people would stop paying if they had to pay everyone a reasonable wage are complete BS because we already ARE paying. Not only are we paying already in the form of tips but some of us are paying more than others. I always tip at least 20% when I go out, normally well over that. I would rather the price of everything just go up 20% so that I have the option of tipping more and the jerks who don't tip or tip horribly can just deal with it so I don't have to pick up their slack anymore.

The bottom line is that unless you are one of those who don't tip or tip poorly, we're already paying the same or more with tipping 20% as we would if they just raised the prices 20% and we didn't have to tip.

[tlombard]

Would a hybrid system be a good compromise for owners of bars/restaurants? Instead of half of minimum wage + tips at the whim of the customer or a set hourly wage what about this:

Keep the half/minimum wage paid by the business and then just add 20% to the price of all items. At the end of the pay period, the employee gets 20% of their ring on their check (plus the hourly) and that still gives people the option to tip more.

Sure that is just a mandatory surcharge but it mitigates the risk of a higher set hourly wage by the restaurant, makes sure the server never gets stiffed AND when you get good service you can still add more but at the same time aren't obligated to tip. I guess the downside to this is if your server is rude and/or doesn't deserve a tip... so in that case you complain to the manager, get a free desert or drink and that person won't be around long once they hear more complaints in an ideal world where nobody is afraid of confrontation (and the manager isn't sleeping with the server and actually cares about the complaints).

Of course I would prefer that minimum wage wasn't the bottom line but this is a rant about tipping and not the fact that nobody can live off of the minimum wage.

[jim]

I'm tempted to stop going anywhere now. I really didn't realize that about takeout.

I'm all for getting rid of the tip thing. I've said it before and I'll say it again - service is 10x better in Europe than in the US - because they leave you the [expletive] alone. If you want something then you have to get their attention, otherwise you aren't bombarded with the stupid smile and "How is it tasting"? For one I just don't think the verb to taste sounds right in the present progressive. Two, it sounds obnoxious, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's too direct?

If your wife were in the bathroom a long time and you were a little worried, you wouldn't shout in there "How's the chitting?" You would probably say something a little more tactful - "How is everything?"

My wife would kill be but I swear one day they are going to ask me that while I'm chewing and I'm just going to open my mouth and show them the chewed up food.

[Gashouse]

Better save that moment for Red Lobster.

[SHOW]

because it's a see-food restaurant.

[jim]

I've never tipped for a coffee either, nor will I. Same reasons gashouse listed. And if someone drew little hearts and [expletive] in my coffee looking for a tip I would just tell them to pour it out and get me another one without all of that [expletive] in it.

[Schlich]

i tipped a coffee guy a buck today because he brought it out to my seat and told me the wifi password. *shrug*

[go birds]

I'm sure it's been said a million times in this thread so if it has, i just wanna reiterate how criminal it is that servers only get $2.13/hr (or at least that's what it was in college).

Then on top of that, they have to tip out a percentage to the bartender and if they are feeling generous (or sometimes mandatory like it was at outback steakhouse), a portion to the busboys.

I worked as a server/bartender in college and made pretty damn good money at it--i was living like a king in college because of it--but honestly it's a crapshoot.

There'd be times i'd go into work and leave an hour later because it was slow and i'd have one maybe two tables in that time.

ridiculous system--it's why i always overtip.

don't even get me started on the bad tippers and the bad tippers that are proud of it--a friend of a friend left less than 10% on a bill the other night and proudly proclaimed he was a bad tipper. I wanted to punch him right in his [expletive] mouth.

[stlouie_lipp]

A Pittsburgh restaurant just banished tips and in return, started paying employees a $35,000 salary with benefits.The restaurant, called Bar Marco, is also giving its workers health care, 500 shares in the company, and paid vacation.

All 20 of Bar Marco's employees have signed the new contracts, which state that they will work a maximum of 40 to 44 hours per week and get two days and one night off a week. Employees will also get 10 paid vacation days per year.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/spending ... ar-AA7Syx3