Pastor to waitress: I GIVE GOD 10% WHY SHOULD I GIVE YOU 18%?

reply to post by ErtaiNaGia


I think they only charge those large gratuities when its a large party. It is to ensure that the waiter makes money. Honestly though.. I think it should come out of the business to ensure they make enough.


I don't mind tipping, but I don't like to tip on top of included gratuity. I don't tip on carryout though and I stand by that, I have been told you are supposed to, but I won't.

Incoming anecdote: Once I put an order in for carryout at waffle house. I went there to pick it up. I asked how much it cost when I put the order in and I took exactly the amount I needed for that and one other thing from the gas station. When I got there they charged me more than the quoted price.. i reluctantly paid it didn't stop at the gas station for whatever else because the money and went back to where I was staying. When I got back I started thinking and decided I was going back to complain since it was close. Not because it was a lot, but.. you know.. principle. So I called and they said they had charged gratuity for the plastic "silverware." I was like WTF?! It was carryout.. I was taking it home I didn't need or ask for plastic forks. So I took the plasticware back to them to test their story and said here is your plastic forks still in the wrapper I want my money back for them. Of course they called up managers and all kinds of stuff and eventually just told me it wasn't the plasticware and that they charged that and blah blah. I told them they need to quote the correct price and that there's no way I could know the cashier wasn't just pocketing a couple bucks on me (i mean wafflehouse waiters aren't notoriously classy." So that's my short story long. Tip what you can when you can, but don't get shafted.

Oh oh.. another tipping anecdote. Once at a Chinese buffet I was finished and gave my money to the "waitress" (this is a buffet mind you so I tip a little less generally because it's usually just [poor] drink service, but still well enough) and she didn't bring me any change. It was embarrassing, but it was like 15 bucks and I had planned to tip 5 (which was like 50 percent in this scenario). The girl got pissy because I asked for my change and demanded a tip so I was just like.. she just lost that tip and bolted.

This is the unfortunate truth to tipping:

servers make more money per hour than the people who actually make your food.

On my few trips State-side I was very conscious not to under-tip so I always erred on the side of generosity. In return, I received excellent, prompt service.

However, the last thing that I wished to be doing when I went out to have a bite to eat is arithmetic.

____________

Prices clearly displayed - order food - pay bill - + leave a "gratuity" when it is earned.

No need to break out the calculator

___________

A minimum wage sounds just sooooooo much easier for all involved.

But I understand its a cultural thing - I just think that waiters/ waitresses and bar staff are pretty run off their feet and deserve a little security- even a real basic minimum wage I think would help. Let customers that add a gratuity should they see fit.

I did this bit of calculating for ATS American members as a comparison-

A waitress earning minimum wage in the following European countries would get :

U.K = $9.33 per/hour

Belgium= $11.35 per/hour

France = $12.60 per/hour

Ireland = $11.82 per/hour

Luxembourg = $14.22 per/hour

Austria = $7.88 per/hour

Greece = $5.83 per/hour

Estonia = $2.60 per/hour

Cyprus = $6.63 per/hour

Originally posted by ErtaiNaGia
You are implying that I am not, actually.

Perhaps I worded my post in some way that confused my intent - but I see no where I implied one is required to tip 25%.

Originally posted by Golf66
My bottom line is this:

^^^ Simply my guideline ^^^^

Do I think it's cheap to tip less than 25% - not necessarily, the standard accepted practice by custom here is 15% I believe. I'd say that would be the least I would give even for a bad experience. If you give less than 15% without some reason I'd say - you are cheap...

I tip more because I can and personally, I know that not everyone tips as they should and wait staff pay the price.

I have a personal reason for my appreciation of waitpersons and the job they do as you can read earlier in the thread.

i applaud the posters on ATS who in my opinion are more civilized and less personal in their comments compared to what i was reading on the same topic earlier on FB.

with that out of the way. i have a little advice for the pastor. don't mess with food industry workers. ever see the movie "Waiting"? yeah. hope their is another Applebees in your town lady, cause if not she is in for a rude surprise the next time she eats out.

you can't mix continental with americano!

reply to post by Golf66

but I see no where I implied one is required to tip 25%.

If you give less than 15% without some reason I'd say - you are cheap...

reply to post by notkmarx

don't mess with food industry workers.

As I said... it's a PROTECTION RACKET for your FOOD.

pastor why you no learn math ?

10% of your annual income is a lot more than 18% of 34 bucks

what a moron

reply to post by syrinx high priest

pastor why you no learn math ?

10% of your annual income is a lot more than 18% of 34 bucks

what a moron

IT'S EXTORTION.

It's not a gratuity, which implies voluntary... it's backed up by threats of violence against the food that you are PAYING FOR.

it's the only industry that gets carte blanch to destroy what you have already paid for, because you didn't bribe the wait staff.

Originally posted by ErtaiNaGia
reply to post by fossilera

 

I'm a big tipper as well - Usually, I pay 25% (rounding to the nearest dollar).

I know exactly what you mean.... this is why I always include an additional 25% gratuity when I pay my taxes...

Otherwise, I risk poor service from the Government.

Well, I'll give you a little more fodder for consideration - I round to the dollar what appears on my bill, so if there's a royalty included, then I pay tip on it . That's my other view: I see the restaurant as a business - me paying a little more keeps them around a little more (same reason I don't mind paying a couple cents more for gas; everyone waits in line for the cheap gas, which runs out quicker - better to pay more, earn some credit, and not have to wait for gas).

Given that, I don't think you quite understand (or you do, and I'm just being a naive newbie poster).
-Fossilera

reply to post by fossilera


I have worked in the restaurant industry for quite a while, both tipped, and hourly.

And without exception... the wait staff makes more per hour than the kitchen staff.

Despite the fact that the kitchen staff *ALWAYS* works harder than the wait staff.

Does that seem right to you?

reply to post by lupodigubbio


Not a very "Christian" thing to do to get a person fired from their job in this economy. Some pastor, hypocrites come in all forms I guess. Good way to get the few minutes of fame saw the story on ABC.

Since when does a server get 18% just because there's a large party sitting at their station, used to be when I was in the business, they were lucky to get 12 to 15% because of the total price of the check. I quit eating at restaurants because alot of my friends were smokers, haven't eaten at one since you can't smoke inside, I used to like to get together with a bunch of friends and go eat out glad I don't now not with 18% tipping. (Alot of my friends are like me now having hard time making ends meet, no smoking for me, good though in away.One way to look at a bad economy)

Sounds like the server didn't deserve it either though, not when she does something stupid like post the check on line to draw attention to stupid, on further thought.

I have seen servers regularly walk out of a 5 hour shift, with over 200 dollars in tips...

That's about 40 dollars per HOUR.

IT took the cook, 25 hours to make the same amount.

Does that seem right to you?

Some servers don't consider it an average night unless they break 120 dollars for a 5 hour shift.

reply to post by ErtaiNaGia


No it doesn't seem right, i know you all in the back of the house work hard too. I worked at a popular Italian restaurant chain though and we had to share even if for instance I didn't have any checks showing any use of a bar we had to tip out the bartender too, that's not fair either. Would've been better tipping some of the people in the back. There should be an easier way. Once I hostessed and cashiered, we did table set ups too, we never got tipped.

reply to post by lupodigubbio



a bit extreme? this dumb little girl posted a legible signature on a popular website. you can't slander customers and post their signatures online. she got what was coming to her. it wasn't even her table. she posted this to get people pissed off and to make her and her colleagues look like "victims".

waiters and waitresses are nothing more than entitled brats just like the rest of america. i swear, i went to celebrate my dad's birthday with him at chili's. the whole time our waitress was basically letting the bartender know she wanted to "go back to her place tonight". we never got a refill. i left my jacket behind (obviously the bitch didn't get tipped) and when i got back she was looking at the check only to tell the bartender "cheap ass white people".

everybody wants to say how evil the pastor is. how do you know this dumb little girl in question even earned her tip? regardless of your religious views, you are just going to take the side of the "poor waitress"? she posted personal customer info on the internet. not ok

reply to post by ErtaiNaGia


AND? if you can't deal with or accept that facet of dining out, then you better grab a 6-pack and a microwave dinner.

reply to post by notkmarx

AND? if you can't deal with or accept that facet of dining out, then you better grab a 6-pack and a microwave dinner.

Another canned response... this is beginning to smell like a conspiracy.

So, what is the reason for the extreme tipping culture?

Don't bother lying, you KNOW that I will find out.

Supporting single parents as a way to break up the family.

How does that one sound?

Tips are usually never claimed in the full amount, so child support keeps rolling in.... Hmmmm....

reply to post by DocHolidaze

For wait staff I like to tip 20% minimum...

For god I like the old...

"I throw all my money up in the air each Sunday, god can take whatever he wants, I keep whatever comes back down"

also, a party of 8 or more an 18% gratuity charge is automatically added to the charge (in most major chains). this means a waiter/waitress doesn't have to earn a tip because they automatically get a fat tip.


i have a friend who managed applebee's and HATED when he had 8+ people at a table. not only would his wait staff fight over who gets the table with hostess, they just coated and didn't care because they got a big tip regardless of their peroformance. they would ignore the big table and treat them as a hindrance. i can attest as i have NEVER had good service when i have gone to a diner with a large group.