I hate ignorant tippers
I have waited tables off and on for 5 years. Specifically it has been my primary means of income for the last year. I love my job. I love the people I work with. I love meeting new people that I wait on. I hate ign’ant (there I utilized the slang form of ignorant…because well, it’s more appropriate in this circumstance) patrons.
I like to think I’m a generally nice guy. I’m friendly, warm and approachable. So when I wait on you, you’re going to get the best service I can give you. I might not know all the answers to your questions, but I’ll do my best to find out for you.
I get all this out of the way to make room for the real point of this post: people and their tipping practices. I’ve wanted to write this post for a little while now but kept putting it off. However this article as well as a discussion on a forum I visit that was rife with people saying things like, “Tipping is a reward. I won’t give it if they don’t earn it.”, has convinced me that education is in order.
The tip. A monetary sum above the cost of one’s meal in a sit-down restaurant proportional more to the total of the bill than the quality of the service (barring extreme circumstances). Also, allow me to say this as boldly as possible: if you don’t tip and tip reasonably well, your server does not earn a livable income. They don’t. There’s no way around it. A tip is not a reward for quality service, it is a server’s only means of income. We make literally nothing off of a paycheck. 0 dollars. I say these things not just for myself, but for the many other servers out there trying to make a living and bashing their head against a wall when their quality service nets them a 10% or less tip.
If you’re a person who thinks 10% is a reasonable tip at a restaurant, don’t come to mine.
Let’s look at Chris. Chris is a fellow server of mine. He’s likable, considerate and quite knowledgable about our restaurant’s menu and wine and alcohol offerings. He’s a great server. I have seen Chris get screwed out of more tips than anyone I know. A party spent over 100 dollars one night and left him nothing. This is a sin. For real. If you think it’s not, then you need to repent as well.
Is the above scenario extreme? Perhaps. But is it rare? Not really. I would say almost 50% of the time people tip either 15% – annoying but tolerable - or below, which as we’re all learning together today, is completely unacceptable.
But Nathan, what if I can’t afford a tip that high? Go somewhere else to eat. That sounds harsh, but it’s true. If I personally know I’m not looking to tip on a meal, I will eat at a place where tipping isn’t required. I would rather you enjoy your excellent food at Chik-fil-A (that’s not sarcasm, I love Chik-fil-A) than come to my restaurant and not tip well.
Do me a favor, click on this article and pass it around to people you know that don’t tip well (maybe yourself included). Educate people that tipping is not a reward, it’s income. Truly, it is a humbling thing to earn your bread and butter based on the grace of someone else.
Be graceful, tip well.
I was made painfully aware of this when I first met my wife (Sarah De’S’s sis). She’s a barber and doesn’t have a huge income. She works insanely hard and when she was full time, was paying out more than half her weekly wage on rent. Without tips, she could never have made it through. I, to my shame, had never tipped my hairdresser. Never even considered it necessary.
I still don’t tip my barber. I just cook her dinner now instead.
iain, welcome man. yes, wise words on tipping. see, the scot doesn’t just get a crown in heaven for tipping, he got a wife out of it. word.
The secret is:
Learn Some Card Tricks.
Nathan I always knew tipping was a very important part of a sever’s income, and I knew it was mainly based on the price of the meal, but what I didn’t know was that it had nothing to do w/ service. My family always tips %15 to %20 depending on service. This was very informative thanks.
Hope you are well my friend
Cameron
thanks for the comment, cam. its not that it has nothing to do with service. its just that it doesn’t have everything to do with service, as tends to be the prevailing thinking.
I have come to understand the extent of the waiters’ dependence on tips. What I fail to understand is why waiters who work at restaurants where the bill is more should be paid more than those who work at lower-priced venues. It’s a highly imperfect system and I refuse to pay some waiters more for the same amount of work.
i was tempted to just delete this comment because as much as i hate ignorant tippers i also hate when people post what they perceive as insightful viewpoints, though not-too-veiled in criticism, under the guise of anonymity.
instead i decided to leave it. because hey, it’s a free internet.
though, in response, i think that’s a fair question to ask. however it shouldn’t then cause you to punish the server for your somewhat skewed perspective on their industry. that’s why you should tip the same percentage across the board; the waitress at waffle hosue will be as thrilled about a 20% tip as the waitress at mccormick and schmidt, and you’ll feel good for doing a good deed…everyones happy!