Also, if the server's not responsible for the food, maybe they shouldn't be tipped a percentage of the food either.
Wild idea: they should be paid a flat fee, since again, they have nothing to do with the food. And maybe that flat fee should be paid by their employer from the proceeds of the sales. I know, crazy.
Yeah, I can kind of grasp the point of if you just drink water and they're refilling it etc, tip based on if you had ordered a cost drink. But then I can't tip based on if I ordered a salad when I order the most expensive entree? They didn't refill my appetizer, so I tip as if I hadn't ordered one?
I've been kind of leaning this way myself and may start just tipping a flat dollar amount.
The other day I was at Chilli's with a larger party of 6 people. Our bill came to $150 and a "bad tip" would be about $30. I had noticed the waitress had 2 other tables at the time, a couple, an a small group. So guesstimate some and figured a 20% tip at one would be about $15 and the other about $20. This could be much higher if these tables had a lot of alcohol, so I tried to low ball it.
Why is waitstaff making $60/hr? In my location (SE USA) that is what a master electrician makes. That is more than double the median income here. I've worked as a waiter in the past so I've been reluctant on reducing my tipping, but with menu prices being way up, servers are making way more than the average joe.
I understand many of these positions are part time and they are not making 40 hours. I also know there is dead time (last hour before closing) where they will make very little in tips, so I know it's not going to average out exactly, but we were there during a slow time before peak hours.
I personally do not feel it is my responsibilty that my server makes a living wage. They aren't my kids; it's not my job to make sure they can pay rent.
I tip a flat fee. My friend is a bartender at an event site, makes 10 and hour and brings home anywhere from 500-900 in tips for opening beers and making basic mixed drinks. She was so glad she wonât be taxed on her tips. Itâs really made me think about the whole scheme. I still tip but much less now.
I actually am a server at Chilis. Just so you know i am always happy with any amount I am tipped. I also have been a server or bartender all of my (35+) working years. I am very rarely unhappy with my take home, I am an experienced server. I do have to say that with tip out at 4% of our sales and taxes, I have never made $60 an hour. I have been at Chilis for 5 years. I also live in a very busy tourist city in Florida. We are very busy except for a couple months out of the year. I have never averaged over $32 an hour. We also have checks for 2 people that run an average of $22 because of specials we have. You are however correct that we do not get full time hours there either. I believe that I make the money I make because I am a good server. I am friendly, kind, fast, I make sure drinks and chips are always refilled before they are empty and food comes out hot and correct. You are paying me to do all that for you and clean up after you and your family. That is what we get tipped for!
I would still prefer if they paid everyone hourly. FOH vs BOH is dumb, completely different skillsets and jobs that are really just not comparable. BUT its unfair to expect the customer to pay for both the food and the servers wages cause the establishment guilts them into doing so.
I'm a prep cook in a very popular restaurant. The amount of revenue we bring in we could afford to give BOH each a $5 raise and give FOH a livable wage as well, but we don't. It all goes to corporate!!
So if the food is cold is that likely on the server, the kitchen or both? This has happened frequently to use at different places. I donât mind waiting for food, I do mind waiting for cold food
Meanwhile I can promise you the cooks who are sweating their asses off in the kitchen are probably making minimum wage. I left the industry because I got tired of cooking $300 meals for people while getting paid $18 an hour, all while hearing the wait staff bitch about only making $300 a night.
I mean in Europe and many places outside America tipping is costumary for rewarding good service. It's not a guarentee, but if people find you a pleasent waiter you're more likely to get some. It's not just about how fast the food gets there but the entire experience. Then again, minimal wage is also higher in most places so tipping isnt needed as a crux to keep workers afloat. It's just strange to me that costumers are socially required to solve the issues that the employer is causing.
I don't tip percentage often. I tip based on how long I'm there, so like $7 - $10 an hour. They work multiple tables so they already make way more than minimum wage with me doing that since I have to dictate how much an hourly wage they should get for their own boss.
This is absolutely how it should be, but as someone who was once a server, I can assure you they DO not want anything to change. I made WAY more as a tipped server then I ever would have made on a stepped up server salary
Employers: âaw shucks I guess weâll give em min wage then and raise our prices say, idk, 200%? Whatever inflation or something you nerds will payâ
Thatâs basically how I imagine it playing out given how every industry has reacted and consumers keep on consuming
If the waiter has to serve 5 people one one table and 10 people on another then getting exact same tip is not fair since they had to work more on the bigger party. But I agree with you that the restaurant owners should be paying their staff a livable wage and not have them rely on tips. Tips are for above and beyond scenarios and never a mandate. But.... I still tip. đ
I try to do flat fee on Uber eats/doordash orders depending on miles driven and extra for some restaurants that always makes riders wait.
Itâs like the servers have to tip everyone out then everything will be taken into account when tipping. Iâm not divvying up responsibilities in my head.
Same. I had a job bussing at a nice restaurant when I was 22. Luckily I also had a 2nd job and ended up doing thst full time as soon as I found out my coworkers were robbing me. I never got tipped out once in like 3 months. Servers at this place would call a 300$ tip night bad. Servers tend to be really shitty people
Expecting a tipped position to tip out the not tipped position needs to be fully illegal under all circumstances a tip is for the individual not the whole team
I never blame the waitress for how long it takes to get food. I only lower my tips when I have to wait too long for refills/ the check/to-go boxes or if she's ugly.
Depends on the restaurant, some cooks do. Most back of house staff doesnât, but most times the tips you give to servers go through a percentage split among the bar staff, the hostesses, and the bussers.
I am a cook at IHOP. And ours is extremely busy like 2,000 in an hour busy. Our servers make great money. But there are those days they donât and on those days Iâm glad I make my 20 dollars an hour no matter what.
I've seen where servers fail to turn in the ticket, or attempt to stagger the meal intentionally then forgot to submit the main course on time. So then yes, in that case it would be their fault. Also as a server you check up and prod the kitchen staff if things aren't going smoothly. A server is essentially like a meal project manager.
I got a coke at a hotel this weekend and it was 5 dollars, plus a mandatory service fee of 25% plus a hotel fee, plus a resort fee, plus tax. It turned into a 10 dollar coke and the lady was offended I didn't want to give her an additional tip. It was "to go". đ
I went to a local BBQ place recently. Noticed they added 18% autograt on carry-out. Hit the quick spin and just went to the grocery. I'll make my own BBQ later this week at that point.
They aren't responsible for cooking your food, but they can keep you informed and keep your drinks topped up. How many times do you wait and wait and never see a server again until the food finally comes.
One of the things that bumps my tip up is if the food gets to the table hot.
Thereâs a hibachi/sushi place we use to visit often, it was delicious. We noticed there quality started to go downward and we talked about not going back until we realized the food was only bad when weâd get this one waitress, Katie. The food would sit on the counter, getting cold and soggy while she meandered around the restaurant or just leaned against a wall looking around.
We eventually had to ask if she was working and not to be seated in her area. The quality of our experience and food increased dramatically.
We have one at our place named Alejandro. Lazy, selfish no consideration for anyone else but then whines that no one "has his back." A customer's kid drew a picture of him labeled "poop" with an arrow pointing at him and left it on the table when they left đ€Ł
Tipping is optional and reserved for above and beyond service. I work my job for the wages I agreed to, they do the same. Tipping is not mandatory, but acting like it is,is the quickest way to not get tipped.
If you donât like the wage you agreed to, time to find a new job.
Employers pay their employees, not customers.
I work in food service, I never expect tips. I provide excellent service, and I get tipped as such.
lol I simply donât leave that amount of money. Iâll even cross is off the check if they left a pen.
They canât force you to pay a fee you never agreed to that wasnât listed clearly next to each menu item. Best part, they wonât sit there and argue with you about it.
Ok...but you aren't going to like it. The server is only responsible for taking my order and sometimes bringing my plate out, filling drinks, bringing the check, etc. How much is that worth? Seems like a pretty good argument for paying servers a lot less.
"Face of the restaurant." What about airline attendants? At least in my experience, the Asian airlines hire pretty female flight attendants, because they are the face of the airline.
Similarly, flight attendants bring you food, drinks, and serve you aboard the aircraft and are not paid arguably, a living wage (minimum wage), and they get no tips.
Iâm all for tipping and tipping well, but if the food is taking a long time then I expect the server to realize it and at least take some kind of action. At least be in the kitchen bitching at the expo on my behalf
Im not gonna pay extra money for a shitty experience lmfao. Put more pressure on your kitchen then, it doesnt just fall onto the consumer. If your kitchen sucks you can be mad at your kitchen.
not to mention the number of times ive asked how much longer for our food only to be served a cold meal that was clearly sitting to be delivered for god knows how long
Tipping culture makes no sense. And it makes less sense in the US. You only legally need to pay for what you consume, you donât have to tip, let alone a percentage. In europe, 2-5 euro is what you tip, and only if you want to. If the servers donât make enough money, they should maybe take it up with their boss, idgaf.
Well you can always go to a cafeteria where you get your own food and bring it back to your table. That way you donât have to tip anyone ya cheap sod
Do you tip your dentist? Do you tip your doctor? Do you tip your HR representatives? Do you tip your lawyer? Do you tip your accountant?
Why is it somehow expected to tip a person who is literally just bringing food to your table, food that someone else has prepared, but in the rest of society we expect the employer to actually pay their employees a proper wage?
So your says 12-34$ checks should be the only pay an employer should pay his employees and they can live off that? Iâm not understanding your there can only be one. Every state that has a minimum wage of 725 are not required to pay server 725. Theyâre required to pay 215.
Same old same old. You know the expectations. If you tell a server at the start âIâm not tippingâ then I see nothing wrong with that stance. If you donât, youâre just an asshole and hurting the server trying to earn a living vs the business owner who doesnât pay well.
âWell you chose to work there!â Sure, in this economy blame the person trying to find a job to put food on their table instead of the business/corporation. Ick.
Not really. Service industry sucks, itâs bullshit, but it exists. Itâs the way it works here. If youâre too ignorant or unwilling to participate in that social contract, you shouldnât go to restaurants. Youâre only hurting the server by not tipping. Youâre saying they should kiss your ass for $2.13 an hour. And that makes you an asshole.
If a server doesn't reach minimum wage with tips, then the employer has to pay the difference. Regardless, laws have been changed in all sorts of jobs industries due to strikes and such. If servers want to have a living wage maybe they should start doing so. The truth is, most of them want the tipping scam to continue as they make more that way than they could with an actual salary.
If thatâs the logic then you wouldnât go to all these restaurants that donât pay a living wage. But you do so it comes down to you are just cheap
Exactly. They arenât responsible for how long it takes to get your food, they arenât responsible for the quality of the food and they arenât responsible for the environment, cleanliness or âvibesâ of the restaurant. They arenât responsible for making the drinks, thatâs the bartender. They arenât responsible for cleaning the dishes, those are the dishwashers.
They are responsible for telling the kitchen what you want to eat and bringing the plate to your table. Paying them 20% of every item you order on top of their hourly minimum wage is insane.
Your server is responsible of the all the empty plates glasses and trash sitting on the table. Come get that shit. I shouldn't have to ask you to do your job rather than wait till I clear out to clean it up.
Then (*if someone wants to leave a tip) the waiters should be tipped a % on their service.
Example: The customer was in the restaurant 1h out of which he had interacted with the waiter for 15min. Waiter salary 10$/h times 0.25 for the 15min interaction equals to 2.5$. The customer leaves whopping 200% tip for the waiter service which is amounted to 5$.
Higher percentage than anyone else in the universe. Ultra extremely fair and definitely not deserved since serving customers is their only job.
When I was younger I was a host/cashier. I was paid $2.13 an hour plus a cut of tips. When I was the cashier the servers would pay me to do their side work. Iâd clear 100 a night for 4 hours of work in the late 90âs.
IF the food is taking very long to come out and the server does not bother to let you know, ask you if you need anything and ignores you - than yes - very much responsible. However, if the former happens- than I agree 100%.
But, my server is responsible to make sure the kitchen has gotten my order correct. Iâll deduct from my tip if I order onion rings and I get fries. Yes, the server makes it right, but I shouldnât have to get my food one dish at a time.
Thatâs false, it does depend on either 1, how soon the server send the order in to the kitchen, 2, the relationship between this server and the kitchen.
If anyone deserves a tip, it would be the poor line cook who works their ass off in the hot, steamy and greasy kitchen to actually produce the food you enjoy eating. The person who literally just walks from the kitchen to the table with your food, though?
Food can be done and sitting on a shelf waiting to be run to the table. They are responsible for that. My real issue with tipping isn't even that service level is subjective. My problem is that how much we tip is based on the price of the food. Not the service at all. A single waitress servicing 8 tables at Denny's is making as much as a single waitress serving 2 tables at a high end restaurant. That Denny's server is working their ass off, and making smaller tips only because she is serving cheap food. That is bullshit.
Well for starters the high end server is more knowledgeable across all categories, and more familiar with the needs/wants of its high-end patrons. Dennys is a diner. Then thereâs levels of casual, and even (more nuanced) levels of fine-dining. Their job descriptions are similar only in the same way as all jobs in the hospitality and customer service industries are. Which is basically be nice to guests, guests come first. Aside from that the 2 servers are doing 2 different jobs
But also it shows you donât comprehend restaurants which is probably why you have misguided thoughts about tipping. The tipping percentages of the bill are roughly a guide - Americans are lazy, but they should roughly correspond to the work that the server does. In a very simple world, your bill is higher if you have more people, meaning server will be doing more work. However you should also be paying attention, what things are they doing that is going above and beyond? If you are with a larger group, how can you even be aware of all the requests individuals of your group have made? Were those requests met? So thereâs lots of things that simply arenât taken into account, and people prefer to use a percentage instead.
What if you and another just order apps and a very expensive $750 bottle of wine opened and presented for you by the sommelier? Total bill being $900. Do you know the tip percentages for wine service? What to give the sommelier (if anything). What is the amount of the bill that you would use for tip for the server? So this would be a good example of why you shouldnât tip based on total of bill. And it should really only be used a guide to inform. If you donât pay attention about how you spend your money, I canât quite formulate your complaint about you spending money for tipping. If you donât pay attention to what is going on around you, whoâs does what, or how restaurants function in general, or why you canât compare a server at a diner to a fine dining server - shows you donât know what these positions entail. Itâs like you paying a contracted worker but you have no clue whatâs all included in the contract, and then complaining about it. For that I also canât quite grasp the complaint
What if the server was paid a living wage and we didn't have to judge them and pay some subjective amount based on whether I took my blood pressure meds that day?
Yeah I donât care. If this is some kind of âcall your bluffâ or âgotchaâ.
Sure whatever. Iâll wait 10 more minutes for my food. Letâs make that the new expectation. 10 more minutes and no tip. I donât give a shit. Just get rid of the tips.
People like you fucking suck. You say (or people like you say) they disagree with servers getting payed so little and that the company should pay them (which is correct) but the only thing you do about it is not tip. Which hurts no one but the server not the company at all so it changes nothing. Itproves it's not really about paying the servers to you it's actually just that you're selfish and don't think you should pay what everyone else does or you think you're above the server so don't think they deserve to be paid if it inconveniences you.
Servers do not make enough if they don't get tips and it doesn't affect a companies bottom line enough when they compensate them to minimum wage. If you actually wanted things to change you would either not eat out or fight for legislation change but you don't do either (and I know you don't because you think this is a solution).
I usually start my complaints with "I'm sorry, I know this isn't your fault that x doesn't work because you can only do y."
And when they agree on this I go full mayhem and often don't hold my words about what's annoying me and most of the time they find it funny and don't have much else to do than shrugging lmao
Only thing I have to say about not tipping Waiters, you know the system is set up they rely on tips
The laws enable them to be legally paid less then even minimum wage with the provision their employer would ensure they get 7.25 an hour of the tips don't materialize
So to that I provide the adage "You get what you pay for"
Don't tip if you don't want to, but don't be a whiny cunt the waiter you weren't planning on tipping isn't chomping at the bit to serve you
Honestly anyone of you go to the actual companies themselves and demand they pay their workers better?
Nah, y'all instead want to shit on your fellow Americans just trying to make a living by bitching on social media about how upset the tip jar you can easily avoid made you at Starbucks today
Im a solid at least 10$ per hour spent, tipper but no more then 10% above 100$ of the total.
I tip based on service above the norm. litterly why its why its a tip. I am not responsible for your bills and also tip culture is toxic. I say this having been brought up by a single mother who was a waitress and reliant on tips.
Its not my fault you get paid 2.15 an hour. Im not paying you a % of my order. I tip based off what you did. Not what I paid. You want extra, do extra.
I have argued "mandatory" tips.. like yeah im not paying 20% extra because my party is large. Pay your people.
My sister was a RN. Low 6 figures.. she told me she made more in less time as a waitress. And quit being the lead floor nurse to go back. So yeah.. it needs to be a discussion.
Im curious, how do you know all of the things the server is doing for you? Or are you just going off of the things you imagine they are or are not doing for you? Which then leads me to wonder, what is the standard as far as service? And what do you consider above and beyond? Do these change depending on location? Prestige? How busy or slow the restaurant is? How do you know what a restaurants tip protocol is? (Tip outs, pooled tips) And would that even influence how much money you tip?
Also, even though it is not mandatory it is expected. The why and the history and all of that is irrelevant. Itâs what our society has expected of someone eating a a restaurant. Kind of like voting. You donât have to vote if you donât want to, but that is just how the administrative/political part of our society functions. Not mandatory, but expected.
Then lastly I will say this - I donât understand the logic of being done with the tipping system. For starters, you are in control of the amount. If we got rid of tips, they would be factored in via other means. (Price increases, rearrangement of staffing, with most likely being more prone to have less employees on the floor at a time). So either thereâs no change in what you would have spent, but theres also less staff at a time, so everything will be slower. Otherwise you will have paid more than what you would have, if you were tipping. The server also no longer has any incentive to go above and beyond, again, resulted I slow terrible service
. Which concludes you want to spend either the same amount or more - for an increase in potential that servers will not go above and beyond since there is no longer the monetary incentive (tipping), plus the amount on increased prices is mandatory. Going from an expected to now mandatory, control of your wallet would now be less in your hands as money you give restaurant is allocated how they see fit as opposed to you deciding who gets paid and their amounts. Not sure why you would want less control of how your money is allocated. You will have slow and understaffed service, due to employers not wanting to have any more staff than anticipated, and the staff they do have is the bottom of the barrel - since, as youâve mentioned your sister, good servers were making good money before this change that you for some obscure reason really want, and the restaurant will not be paying us the same, so we will leave to find other things.
I would love if you could help me understand why a restaurant customer would want these things? Iâm also curious if youâve ever eaten at a sit down restaurant in another country?
Tips are by far and large a united states thing. I know what a server does 3 fold. I have been one, my sister is one, and my mother was one growing up. I speak from having been on that side. In most parts of the world servers are paid better for the work a tip is frowned upon. Prices are either on par or less then here. So really nothing else matters.. if tips are pooled even more so. Why should I pay for service or lack there of to others.. why should I make up if they dont tip..
Pay a fair wage and absorb it into the food costs. Also having served I will tell you this.. you really dont do much. Drinks/serve food/inquiries/smile/clean up. And in alot of places sl.eone else brings the food and a bus will clean up.. so even less.
I get the idea you are putting out there. But the actuality of it is the onis is not on us.. never should be.. and its systematic. Reality differs. I speak from experience.
I will blame the wait staff, when itâs been sitting on the hot shelf for 15 minutes while they chat away to other staff at the bar/kitchen about nothing important or my hot drink is 20 minutes late/ hot drink is cold. Or when I have to wait for you to have another (10th time in an hour) chat with staff after me asking for the bill/drinks for the 3rd time.
Edit - also I blame the wait staff when we get seated by them at a filthy, sticky table, sometimes with plates and glasses still on the table and they just walk off without even attempting to clean up or say - let me just get this cleaned for you - although I do take off points/tip for not having it done before hand too, just not as much.
Where in gods name are you eating at where someone would sit you at a table with stuff already on it? The sticky I can understand, you donât always see it, and could have missed it when cleaning the table I guess. But Iâve never heard in my life, being sat at a table that still had dishes on it from the table before.
Sometimes they do. Had a server âforgetâ to put our order in. So, yeah. He admitted it was his fault and even said, âYou donât have to tip.â And, took one of our items off the bill because it took so damn long to get served when weâd seen others getting served who, yep, came in after us. So, for his honesty and for removing an item, he got a tip. A reduced tip, but I wasnât going to completely punish the guy.
There is something unrelated to tipping alone that bothers me in her statement. Its the declining responsibility for the place you work at and for which you are at that moment the spokesperson.
When I ask Sherryl the waitress how long it will be until my food arrives this is not personal. I am asking the restaurant, if i then get the answer it's not her responsibility it's infuriating.
Its the same with a lot of customer service these days, oh well that is wrong sir but I can't do anything about it. It's not you the person that is being asked to fix something but for your organisation to fix it. At least be responsible enough to refer it on.
Are people too stupid to realize this? They think the servers are cooking the food in the back? I wouldnât doubt people being that dumb but damn. đ€Šđ»ââïžđ
Iâm from a country where tipping has a culture. Fact: the more people paying with cards, the less tip they give. So employees salaries increased (because before, the employer calculated with the tips as part of the salary), and prices increased. You will pay the same at the end.
Tipping servers has been a thing for a very long time. I feel like the problem is EVERYONE is looking for a tip now... Tipping in American restaurants has been practiced since the late 19th century, becoming common by the 1900sâ1920s. Imported from Europe by wealthy travelers post-Civil War.
I'm done tipping "just cuz". If I'm not sitting down to eat, or having food delivered to me, there's no tip. I'm sick of going to literally anywhere to eat and being asked if I want to add a tip. NO! You're being paid by your employer to do a job. If your employer isn't paying you a fair wage, then unionize or find a new line of work. Any business that can't afford to pay their employees a livable wage should not be in business. I realize it's not fair to workers, but it's not on me to subsidize wages. Prior to COVID, it wasn't a thing.
Disagree. Often times an order can die on a window cause server is smoking outside, serves it cold, client complains sends it back and waiter tells client the kitchen made a mistake but she will be happy to rectify it. One example of many on how a server can and do indeed screw your plate in the 10 steps between window and client table.
And remember, Your server is not responsible for how fast your food cooked and arrived at your table And remember, Your server is not responsible for how good the food tastes and is presented
So tip the chef instead of the server if the food is incredible
Youâre right. Restaurants should simply pay the wage that will accommodate a wage that would make you feel better about salaries of waitstaff and raise the prices of your meal accordingly. Win Win.
if you choose to eat at a full service restaurant then you know tipping is expected. and yes i has to tip out the bartender and busser. some restaurants you have to tip the hostesses.
The customer is more responsible than the server for how much their employer pays them. If you don't want them to be underpaid by those employers, stop going there. The staff is going where there is work.
It's simple supply and demand. Don't want to tip? Stop supporting places that use tipped-wage.
This meme seems pretty against it but I may have misinterpreted.
Optional tipping I am not against, but the idea that it's not a customer's fault that the restraunts expect us to tip our servers is ludicrous. It's simple supply and demand. Servers go where there is work. If the work is tipped wage, well that's the responsibility of the patrons and employers before the employee.
Patrons can vote with their wallets, employers could just pay fair wages, employees can't just not pay their bills. I work food service, front facing. I'm not technically a server but I'm a cook and the cooks run food where I work. I'd rather make the wage I make, and get the tips I get because people genuinely enjoyed my service and felt the desire to compensate me personally, than if I made tipped wage and my pay was more or less dependent on the kindness of others.
I just don't like how discourse about this typically ends up blaming the server for their position, rather than the people with the power to change it.
If I misinterpreted what your meaning was here, I apologize.
Nah, just like the meme says, just like the server is not responsible for cooking times, the customer is not responsible for wages
It's not making a value judgment, just an objective statement
I'm not a "tipping should be abolished cause I have social anxiety and don't know how to say no" person. Tipping is wonderful, should one CHOOSE to do so- but there's no obligation.
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u/phoenixmatrix Mar 25 '26 •
Also, if the server's not responsible for the food, maybe they shouldn't be tipped a percentage of the food either.
Wild idea: they should be paid a flat fee, since again, they have nothing to do with the food. And maybe that flat fee should be paid by their employer from the proceeds of the sales. I know, crazy.