Are you a good tipper?

C

czygvtwkr

Guest
Hmmm lets figure this out. Say you wait on 4 tables an hour with an average bill of $35, 15% of that would be $21. Id say thats a pretty good take.
 

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
czygvtwkr said:
Hmmm lets figure this out. Say you wait on 4 tables an hour with an average bill of $35, 15% of that would be $21. Id say thats a pretty good take.
Plus the $2.35 an hour wage making the hourly take $23.35. Now if it's a 40 hour a week gig then that comes out to be a $48,500 annual salary. Certainly puts things into perspective for those in this field of endeavor "demanding" a 20% gratuity for services rendered.
 

Bustem' Down

Give Peas a Chance
For me they start out at 15%. If they just do the job that's what they get. If they do bad I go lower, If they are especially good I go higher. Once I didn't leave a tip because the service was so horrible, and once I left 75% becase I stoped at a Denny's on Christmas Day on my way home. Not only was the lady working Christmas (Not some kid, a grown woman who I'm sure had kids), It was some of the best service I've ever had.
 

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
There was an episode of "3rd Rock from the Sun" where John Lithgow's character was out to dinner with his gf. He placed a stack of singles on the table and told the waitress that if she did go the pile would grow, but if she did poorly it would get smaller.

My cell phone has a tip calculator, so I don't have to borrow my wife's fingers anymore. :lol:

:bump:
 

Bustem' Down

Give Peas a Chance
kom526 said:
There was an episode of "3rd Rock from the Sun" where John Lithgow's character was out to dinner with his gf. He placed a stack of singles on the table and told the waitress that if she did go the pile would grow, but if she did poorly it would get smaller.

My cell phone has a tip calculator, so I don't have to borrow my wife's fingers anymore. :lol:

:bump:
Yeah, I loved that show. That was a good one! :lol:
 

SamSpade

Well-Known Member
Bustem' Down said:
For me they start out at 15%. If they just do the job that's what they get. If they do bad I go lower, If they are especially good I go higher. Once I didn't leave a tip because the service was so horrible, and once I left 75% becase I stoped at a Denny's on Christmas Day on my way home.
That's pretty close to my general policy. IF you do your job pleasantly, you get 15%. Any schmuck who thinks they're entitled to a 'tip' doesn't understand the concept.

HOWEVER - to get a better tip - you have to not keep us waiting. You have to keep our water glasses and drinks FULL (last time I was at Petruzzi's, the waitperson kept forgetting our water - but remembered the bread). That one thing alone will get a big tip from my wife. Me? I don't like to be kept waiting - if I'm finished, and I've mentioned I'm done, I don't want to wait ten minutes or more for the check to come to my table. If you're too busy to bring me my check or attend to my needs, I'll take my sweet time leaving until I feel like it. Many times I've been waiting for my waiter, only to see him/her chatting it up with someone else working with them - completely inattentive to us. Screw 'em. They deserve NO tip - or as I like to do, give them a quarter so they know I did NOT forget.

(I was a little peeved this past week when going to the new Evans, which is now Bear Creek on the half shell. While the food and service were both excellent, the bill had a listing for how much a 15% and a 20% tip is).

My wife and I just got back from a trip - and on one of the tour busses, there was a sign saying that it was 'customary' to tip the tour guide 10%. I told my wife "we paid 3-400 bucks for this tour bus full of people - and they want ANOTHER 40 bucks? I don't think so".

Another poster said it best - yes, the cost of living has risen - SO HAS THE COST OF MEALS. Since tip is a *percentage* of meal cost, it has risen proportionately - so it's a stupid, lame argument. Time was when a burger and fries at a franchise restaurant cost less than 5 bucks, so a burger meal for two ran just over 10, with tip (I'm thinking a place like Denny's or Friendly's, in the late 80's, where a burger and fry meal was about 4 bucks). That meant the waiter got a buck or two. NOW, the cheapest burger meal at some of these places is seven bucks or more, and you better not have a soda, which will cost a minimum of 1.75 to two bucks. You're talking almost 10 bucks for someone to bring you what you can get at fast food in a bag.

You want 20%? You have to earn it, because you're not entitled to ANY tip if you give typical surly adolescent service.
 

SamSpade

Well-Known Member
Chasey_Lane said:
It's easier to compute 3 times the tax. :whistle:
That's what I *usually* do - but it really only works when the tax is 5%. It doesn't translate well to some other states.

And lately, we have to look at the bill BEFORE we give them the card, because the bill they give afterwards just has the TOTAL - tax included.
 

itsbob

I bowl overhand
Chasey_Lane said:
It's easier to compute 3 times the tax. :whistle:
How about figure 10% (that's a REAL easy figure to compute), then add an half more!!?

10% of of say $24 would be 2.40, plus 1.20 = 3.60 = 15% tip!! I know, I have a weird mathematical mind, but it works very well for me.
 

Chasey_Lane

Salt Life
itsbob said:
How about figure 10% (that's a REAL easy figure to compute), then add an half more!!?

10% of of say $24 would be 2.40, plus 1.20 = 3.60 = 15% tip!! I know, I have a weird mathematical mind, but it works very well for me.
I've always done it this way. Typically, though, I usually give way more than 15%, and often, 30%.
 

Tomcat

Anytime
itsbob said:
How about figure 10% (that's a REAL easy figure to compute), then add an half more!!?

10% of of say $24 would be 2.40, plus 1.20 = 3.60 = 15% tip!! I know, I have a weird mathematical mind, but it works very well for me.
Works for me, but I usually just use that as a starting point depending on service.
 

Triggerfish

New Member
I went to Outbacks and had iced tea for my drink. The glass was empty more often than it was at least 1/4 full. Also aren't they supposed to bring a knife with the bread?
 
B

Bruzilla

Guest
If you want good service, go to Hooters. They've got it down to a science. Take a minute or two to build raport with your customers. You don't have to just rush up, ask what you want, and take off. Smile a lot, be friendly, and show an interest is all it takes. The shorts and tanktops are nice, but I have seen a lot of Hooters girls, who I wondered how they became Hooters girls, pulling in some nice dollars just by reading their customers and reacting to what they're picking up from them.
 

janey83

Twenty Something
:shrug: When I worked at Nicolletti's, their method was -- whoever cleaned the table got the tip, didn't matter if you didn't serve the table, just as long as you cleared it. And only half of the customers left tips, so I figure the dishwasher made more in tips than the servers. Actually, that wasn't a bad place to work...only worked nights, never had to wake up early :lol:
 

mAlice

professional daydreamer
janey83 said:
:shrug: When I worked at Nicolletti's, their method was -- whoever cleaned the table got the tip, didn't matter if you didn't serve the table, just as long as you cleared it. And only half of the customers left tips, so I figure the dishwasher made more in tips than the servers. Actually, that wasn't a bad place to work...only worked nights, never had to wake up early :lol:


If you cleaned my table and swiped the tip that I earned, I'd kick your azz.
 

janey83

Twenty Something
elaine said:
If you cleaned my table and swiped the tip that I earned, I'd kick your azz.

Actually, what was really annoying was this girl who started working there after me, and she was 5 years younger than me (I was 18 at the time, just graduated GMHS)-- all she would do on her shift was walk around and clear tables, pocketing the money. But there wasn't anything the rest of us could do, that was the rule.
 
B

Bruzilla

Guest
janey83 said:
Actually, what was really annoying was this girl who started working there after me, and she was 5 years younger than me (I was 18 at the time, just graduated GMHS)-- all she would do on her shift was walk around and clear tables, pocketing the money. But there wasn't anything the rest of us could do, that was the rule.

It's been a while for me but isn't Nicoletti's primarily a self-serve operation? I never had a server any time that I went in there. I think that in a situation where the only consistent service being provided is clearing the tables that it makes sense for the table clearer to get the tip.
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
janey83 said:
Actually, what was really annoying was this girl who started working there after me, and she was 5 years younger than me (I was 18 at the time, just graduated GMHS)-- all she would do on her shift was walk around and clear tables, pocketing the money. But there wasn't anything the rest of us could do, that was the rule.
I wasn't aware that 13 years olds could get a work permit. :confused:
 

K_Jo

Pea Brain
PREMO Member
elaine said:
If you cleaned my table and swiped the tip that I earned, I'd kick your azz.
And you'd secretly hope she'd clean your table at least once a night?
 
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