Gratuity Added to Bill

[JeffW]

... I will ask the manager what it's for...

I would submit that if the manager tells you that the tip doesn't all go to the servers, you tell him this will be your last visit to their establishment. I think almost everyone would think that "tips go to your wait staff", and it's just not worth the effort to have to mentally keep track of, "Well, this place, the tip is pooled and divided", "this place, the restaurant takes a 1/4 cut of the tip amount", "this place, I can charge the meal, but need to pay the tip in cash", etc.
It might actually take some pushback from customers, having the manager realize that while he's collecting a cut of tips, he's also losing customers, that might make them change their policy.

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Tipping at restaurants

There is a current thread that discusses pre-established tips (%) being auto-added to a bill. Within that thread is the following:

I have always been a generous tipper, having paid all my personal expenses through high school and middle school as a waitress. I know the work is very hard and well worth the tip, but back in those days, a pre-established tip wasn't added to the bill.

Well, I'm not the worlds best tipper for sure, but I don't go below 15% unless the service is lacking. But oftentimes I question the amount a server can make --- even if the work is very hard. [I watched some roofers clear off an old roof & carry singles up a ladder in freezing weather yesterday... that qualifies as hard work in my book. ]

And if you try to equate the tip to the amount of hard work, why do you tip less when you order a burger compared to the time you ordered that prime rib? Or a beer compared to that bottle of fine wine?

I realize that if you serve at a restaurant that is not busy, your gonna' be hurting. But cover 5 or 6 tables in a rather busy restaurant, and pull in say $75+ dollars an hour.

I realize that I'm likely going to "stir the pot", especially with those that work or worked in that position (or have kids that do).
But I'm just trying to open my mind a little to the way others think!!

 

[Big Matt]

I'd like to comment to those who haven't worked in a busy restaurant.

What goes on in the kitchen isn't like what you see out front. It is crowded, very dangerous (knives, hot water, slippery floors, etc.), and can be very hectic and stressful. You also have to take a lot of heat from the cooks and other kitchen staff. After working in a restaurant for years growing up, you wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen.

You also can't really sit down for hours at a time depending on how busy you are. Most restaurants don't offer breaks at all.

So...is it like roofing? No. However, you earn every penny. Try working in a breakfast place where you are lucky to get a dollar per customer in tips and make $75/hr. You will have worked your butt off. Most waiters make less than $100 per day in tips.

 

[laura1957]

I almost never pay the "pre-established" tip portion of the bill, I prefer to pay the tip in cash at the table - I have them take it off. A gratuity is exactly that - freely given, I have been told that they cannot force you to pay that portion of the bill. I ALWAYS leave 20 % or better for the wait person, unless the service is very bad.

My daughter and stepdaughter both have worked as waitresses for years, so I do know how hard they work. I feel they have a much better chance of getting their fair amount of the tip if I leave it myself.

 

[djs]

But isn't the tip generally shared with the bussers and other staff?

True, perhaps I should have said that it goes into the "right" pockets right away. In any event, assuming the servers do divide up the tips correctly, those deserving are getting their tips quicker.

 

[swift]

Since we are such a diverse group coming from all over the world when we are discussing how tips should be handled we should also consider how each state deals with tips.

http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/state/tipped.htm

 

[applegirl]

There have only been two ocassions when I had the tip added and then requested that it be removed.

Once was in New Orleans at a restaurant that said that was their standard policy because all the foreign tourists didin't know they were supposed to leave a tip. The service was not great so we left a smaller cash tip.

The other time was in NYC where the waitress was horrible and so rude to our CA group of yes, tourists, but we were very nice and don't they depend somewhat on tourist dollars? My father was so irate and spoke to the manager who removed the tip and we didn't leave her a dime.

I was a waitress throughout college at Olive Garden here in CA. I appreciate how hard the job is and am a very good tipper. I perhaps look at the service I receive with a fairly critical eye since I know that food taking a long time isn't probably the servers fault, but poor attitude or being ignored certainly is.
It also pays to be kind to your servers because they are in charge of something you will putting in your mouth!

Janna

 

[pranas]

And another tipping situation that may have been covered in another thread.... If the person providing the service (ie. nailtech, hairdresser, barber) is the proprietor of the shop and presumably can set prices at whatever level they wish, do you tip additionally above the posted price of service?


Jim Ricks

I was always told that you do not tip the owner so I rarely tip the owner.

 

[MuranoJo]

There is a current thread that discusses pre-established tips (%) being auto-added to a bill. Within that thread is the following:



Well, I'm not the worlds best tipper for sure, but I don't go below 15% unless the service is lacking. But oftentimes I question the amount a server can make --- even if the work is very hard. [I watched some roofers clear off an old roof & carry singles up a ladder in freezing weather yesterday... that qualifies as hard work in my book. ]

And if you try to equate the tip to the amount of hard work, why do you tip less when you order a burger compared to the time you ordered that prime rib? Or a beer compared to that bottle of fine wine?

I realize that if you serve at a restaurant that is not busy, your gonna' be hurting. But cover 5 or 6 tables in a rather busy restaurant, and pull in say $75+ dollars an hour.

I realize that I'm likely going to "stir the pot", especially with those that work or worked in that position (or have kids that do).
But I'm just trying to open my mind a little to the way others think!!

Tom,

I am trying not to laugh, and please don't take this personally--I certainly didn't. This is how I think: I think it all depends on the year, the conditions, the location, etc. No way were we pulling $75 an hour...we were lucky if we got that in two days' work, salary and tips combined!

I am going back a ways to a small, touristy town where they barely paid us minimun wage and we had to do our own bussing. A tip of $1 a table was a cause for celebration. But let me tell you, I know how much work is involved. On your feet steady for 8+ hours, carrying large trays, dealing with sometimes obnoxious customers and weirdos, people complaining about food you didn't cook, being the cashier at the same time, etc. You just can't imagine it. I know roofers also have a tough job, but I would bet many make more than waiters/waitresses in some areas. Some areas is the key word here, as I am sure wait staff in upper-scale restaurants in larger cities do make a nice wage.

 

[pjrose]

What about a buffet where the server clears plates and refills drinks, but doesn't take orders or bring the meal?

What about picking up pizza etc at a take-out?

How much do those people depend on tips? Are they paid more, given the assumption that they won't make as much in tips? ???

 

[FlyerBobcat]

Muranojo,
Glad I was able to get a laugh out of you, as you did the same to me!
But obviously (at the $75/hr figure) I'm not talking about the local Waffle House, or a mom-n-pop breakfast place. I should have qualified that I was referring to quality dining experiences that usually include a few drinks or a bottle of wine -- but not necessarily "upper-scale".

Heck, if we are talking about places that the server celebrates for a couple buck tip, they deserve every "penny". But places where people are leaving a $10-$15+ tip for dinner, with the server handling a handful of tables -- well we all can do the math.

My chuckle came based on this comment:

On your feet steady for 8+ hours, carrying large trays, dealing with sometimes obnoxious customers and weirdos, people complaining about food you didn't cook, being the cashier at the same time, etc.

Lot's of people work real hard for their money. Maybe you've caused me to re-think:
For ~$7/hr that is indeed hard work. But for anything over say ~$20 or $30/hr, I don't wanna' hear it! You should expect that the work won't be easy....

Tom,
I am trying not to laugh, and please don't take this personally--I certainly didn't. This is how I think: I think it all depends on the year, the conditions, the location, etc. No way were we pulling $75 an hour...we were lucky if we got that in two days' work, salary and tips combined!

I am going back a ways to a small, touristy town where they barely paid us minimun wage and we had to do our own bussing. A tip of $1 a table was a cause for celebration. But let me tell you, I know how much work is involved. On your feet steady for 8+ hours, carrying large trays, dealing with sometimes obnoxious customers and weirdos, people complaining about food you didn't cook, being the cashier at the same time, etc. You just can't imagine it. I know roofers also have a tough job, but I would bet many make more than waiters/waitresses in some areas. Some areas is the key word here, as I am sure wait staff in upper-scale restaurants in larger cities do make a nice wage.

 

[Zac495]

If you order a beer and burger vs. a steak, does the waiter work any less hard? Depends. In a place that serves steak, you may also get soup or salad. The waiter may have memorized specials on a menu. So in this case, the percentage of the amount of food is fair - 20% of the beer and burger is much less than 20% of the steak in the fine restaurants - but the waiter at the fine restaurant worked harder since s/he memorized things, brought salads, brought the fresh pepper, etc.

The wine - now let's say you buy a bottle of wine for 35.00 and the next table buys one for 100.00. Does that waiter work harder for the more expensive one? No. In this case, one might wonder if the waiter should get 20% of the 100 dollar bottle of wine. One MIGHT look at the total bill and calculate 20% of the food and 15% on the wine.

Or one might drink two bottles of wine and just tip 25% because they're happy!

 

[Timeshare Von]

What about a buffet where the server clears plates and refills drinks, but doesn't take orders or bring the meal?

What about picking up pizza etc at a take-out?

How much do those people depend on tips? Are they paid more, given the assumption that they won't make as much in tips? ???

We are very generous tippers, as a general statement. These examples here, however, do not warrent in my opinion the standard 15-20%.

Buffets, I generally do $1/person. Picking up pizza - ZERO. If they deliver it to our house, 10-15%, unless there is a delivery charge. If there is, I ask if that is for them (the delivery driver) or the restaurant. I've been told more often than not, it is for the driver because so many do stiff on tips. So for them, no more. Same deal with room service deliveries.

 

[Wonka]

We are very generous tippers, as a general statement. These examples here, however, do not warrent in my opinion the standard 15-20%.

Buffets, I generally do $1/person. Picking up pizza - ZERO. If they deliver it to our house, 10-15%, unless there is a delivery charge. If there is, I ask if that is for them (the delivery driver) or the restaurant. I've been told more often than not, it is for the driver because so many do stiff on tips. So for them, no more. Same deal with room service deliveries.

I'd like to know if pizza driver's receive the delivery charge, or not. Pizza Hut Express in our area charges a delivery charge and the driver told us he didn't get any of it...so, I tipped him as well another 20%. After that, I decided to pick the pizzas up...it's faster...they're warmer, and I avoid the additional costs. I don't like paying a delivery charge and then tipping...sounds like double-dipping to me. Does anyone know for sure who gets the delivery charge?

 

[Wonka]

Muranojo,
Glad I was able to get a laugh out of you, as you did the same to me!
But obviously (at the $75/hr figure) I'm not talking about the local Waffle House, or a mom-n-pop breakfast place. I should have qualified that I was referring to quality dining experiences that usually include a few drinks or a bottle of wine -- but not necessarily "upper-scale".

Heck, if we are talking about places that the server celebrates for a couple buck tip, they deserve every "penny". But places where people are leaving a $10-$15+ tip for dinner, with the server handling a handful of tables -- well we all can do the math.

My chuckle came based on this comment:



Lot's of people work real hard for their money. Maybe you've caused me to re-think:
For ~$7/hr that is indeed hard work. But for anything over say ~$20 or $30/hr, I don't wanna' hear it! You should expect that the work won't be easy....

Isn't everyone missing something here? I always thought most establishments split tips up between all the different types of service staff, no?

 

[sstamm]

What about a buffet where the server clears plates and refills drinks, but doesn't take orders or bring the meal?

What about picking up pizza etc at a take-out?

How much do those people depend on tips? Are they paid more, given the assumption that they won't make as much in tips? ???

For a buffet, I think we've tipped $1 or $2 per person. Our pizza place has free delivery, so I usually tip the delivery person about 20%.

But what about take-out?

We have a local chinese take-out place and it never even occurred to me to tip when picking up our order. There is no place to dine in- it is carry out only. I guess I always figured that the cost for carryout containers and personnel to pack the order were covered in the price. Does this require a tip?

What about carry out from a regular restaurant? We don't do that very often, but we have ordered a few times from a chain restaurant that then brings the food to your car. I guess you should tip whether you pick it up or they bring it out?

 

[Kay H]

I don't understand why there is a tip jar on the counter in Duncan Donuts. I tell them which donuts I want, he/she puts them in a bag and I pay. I think that is their job and don't tip for it. I even have to ask for my senior discount.

If DH has to ask for his discount, he pays no tip. If they offer it, he puts it in the tip jar.

 

[geekette]

I do not want to be told how to tip. If the event was for a large group, OK, I expect the gratuity added, but for just me and DH, I would in the future not patronize that establishment.

The way I look at it is that a tip is a Gratuity. If the service was not gracious, there is no gratitude to express. Being told how grateful I am is over the line.

I would not add to the amount.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I don't understand why there is a tip jar on the counter in Duncan Donuts. I tell them which donuts I want, he/she puts them in a bag and I pay. I think that is their job and don't tip for it. I even have to ask for my senior discount.

If DH has to ask for his discount, he pays no tip. If they offer it, he puts it in the tip jar.

No kidding - - or at the damned Starbucks! I don't even drink coffee but everytime I'm there with someone else, I'm shocked at the audacity.

 

[sstamm]

I don't understand why there is a tip jar on the counter in Duncan Donuts. I tell them which donuts I want, he/she puts them in a bag and I pay. I think that is their job and don't tip for it. I even have to ask for my senior discount.

I have also seen tip jars at pretzel stands and ice cream shops. You have to wonder.

 

[Rose Pink]

Saw one at a drive-up window. Never went back to that place. Still puzzles me.

 

[Fern Modena]

I generally tip $1. per person at a buffet, $2. if they are really attentive. And if I plan to visit with somebody for an hour or more, I give them $5-10. after about a half hour.

As for counters and drive-up windows, I generally don't tip at them at all. I'm not getting any more service from them than a grocery checker, so I don't see why they think they should be tipped. It is a fairly new phenomenon, started by the coffee places. My local Starbucks quit doing this about a year ago.

I have a couple of exceptions to this. When I go to the bagel shop, if I am using the 12 bagels for the price of 6, I usually drop a dollar in the tip box. Don't ask me why. The other thing is if I go to a restaurant that has "carside takeout," I tip $1-2. to the delivery person.

About coupons: I never use a coupon at the hairdresser's or nail shop. I go to the same person all the time. They work on commission, so if I get $5. off, I am taking $2.50-$3. out of their pocket. I cam afford to pay full price for it, so I don't feel it is right for me to hurt them like this. JMHO, of course.

Fern

 

[MuranoJo]

Isn't everyone missing something here? I always thought most establishments split tips up between all the different types of service staff, no?

Wonka,
OK, my experience just doesn't resonate with this group, LOL. That is, working for minimum wage, being the waitress, busboy, and cashier all at once in some rinky-dink tourist town. Getting $1 tips for a dinner. No wine or beer served there, sorry. I was just sharing my experiences that not all wait staff get tipped according to the amount of work they do.

Bottom line, I think most people pay according to the social 'norms' for the environment--nothing wrong with that I guess. Nice restaurant with servers, bussers, wine stewards, etc., expect and get more $$, but probably do less than someone at for example a cheapo truck stop who works much harder.

Waitressing/waiting is a great learning experience. I just wish everyone had the same opportunity.

 

[Jbart74]

Waiting tables was the 'hardest' job I've ever had. I went home exhausted every night, hated going in every night, but paid for a whole lot of college and extra-circular activities with the tips I made doing it. I was 26-28 and it TRULY was the hardest job ever!

I thank every person who ever left me 20% for my service to them for helping me pay my bills and get a great education. I serve many people now in career, and have never received a tip. But I make about 1000% more per hour than I did waiting tables so I do not expect tips. I never forget that experience I had at the restaurant when I dine out. My average tips are at least 20-25%. I like to make every server's night when I get up to leave. I remember that feeling so well....

On the other side, I also made sandwiches in a NYC deli for a year, served coffee in Raleigh for a year, and sold sunglasses in Hartford for a year. I never expected to be tipped even though I was making minimum wage in most of those cases. Frankly, those jobs were so mindless and simple I just didn't deserve anything more than minimum wage, and I knew it at the time.

 

[jlr10]

My so frequently goes out with his friends to diners such as Denny's etc. He is too thrifty to "Pay $2-3 for a coke when I can buy a 12 pack for just slightly more!" and he always orders a glass of water only (no food either,) and never requests more water. When I asked him how that went over with the wait staff he said they didn't seem to mind. Since they go to the same places they see the same staff. He always tips $1 for this glass of water. Appearantly the 100% tip is enough to keep them happy!