Do Americans enjoy tipping just to make themselves feel big when they dine out ?

Question

They don't seem to care that the kitchen and support get paid very little.

But like to put on a show and act big or like they are grateful by tipping the waitress.

Does this practice exist because Americans like to feel wealthy and powerful ? by splashing around money.

Answer 1

Does everyone of your nationality stereotype and mass classify like you do?  I sure hope not.  

"They don't seem to care that the kitchen and support get paid very little"?  Dude, how about this- I'll cash my paycheck on Friday and when I take my family out, I will personally walk to every employee in the restaurant and givem 10 bucks, OK?  Janitors included.  Heaven forbid I not think of EVERYONE in the restaurant.

You are a schlub.  

I hate tipping.  Absolutely abhor it.  It should be totally on the employer to pay his servers enough to where they do not have to rely on the courtesy of others that very well may not exist (as in your case).

I NEVER put on a big show of any sort when it comes to money, as I am not a shallow-minded person that gives a c**p what anyone thinks, especially about my financial situation.  Does it get anymore superficial than that?

Why don't you work on overcoming your obvious impulse to stereotype and hate an entire nationality of which you have probably never even met one of its citizens face to face.   Weak.

Answer 2

kitchen and support staff are free to negotiate their own salary; Wait staff salary is based on tips. Tipping for service is their livelihood.

Answer 3

no its becuase waiters and waiteresses make 4.60 and hour here... THEY RELY ON THEIR TIPS.... you must be canadian an d you never tip... WHY... waitresses make less than minimum wage... again ((((4.60)))) thats a gallon of gas... therefore wee have to tip!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

Honestly, I think  all wait staff should get to keep their tips, not divide them up at the end of the night. Why am I giving a percentage to someone that did not even take care of my table. I always use the 10% rule, If the place is crowded just keep and eye on them and see how they are with other customers. If you find your self waiting more than 5 min. for them to greet you at your table...start deduting from your usual tip percentage. If the place is busy, and they manage to take care of you and the other people within their section with fast service...I may increase the Percentage...A good manager is always floating around the dining room somewhere, if you go to a place on a regular basis, seek them out, If you run into a problem, just call them over and discuss the issue with them. But don't be petty about it, have a decent ***** about something. If they want your bussiness they will take care of you. If I have minamal wait time for food and beverage, yes I may up the pecentage, I dont throw my money around because I am wealthy, I do it because I got GREAT service

Answer 5

um no its a courtesy for good service and good food

Answer 6

You said it.....the kitchen and waitstaff get paid very little, so people tip them as a thanks for good service. It's also motivation for the restaurant to provide good service and good food.

That's also one of the reasons they get paid very little, because they know that they make up those wages and more from tips. It seems as though you already answered your own question, just didn't put it together.

This is not just an American practice. Other countries do it to.

Do you have any more complaints?

Answer 7

No, it's because they know how little the waitstaff get paid, and want to give a little more.

Answer 8

The kitchen and the support get paid very little because they have displaced legal workers and most Americans are not going to fight for increasing wages for people that break the laws.  Servers make the majority of money in tips most of which is not taxable.  If they don't like being paid that way, you pick another occupation.  And no, Americans don't feel powerful and wealthy, just following past practices.  PS:  If you have a problem w/Americans, there are plenty of other beautiful counties to visit, or live in.

Answer 9

It makes me sad that you would post a question like this without having any knowledge of how the system works, like waiters and waitresses need more people listening to this sort of thing and not tipping.

As someone who has waitressed in more than one restaurant, I'll tell you that I think it stinks how wait-staff get paid in this country. It's a lame system.

If the customer doesn't like his/her food, they're not going to leave a nice tip, and at $2.35 an hour, that means that MY paycheck suffers for it, and that hurts. The cooks are slow, MY paycheck.  No lunch special on weekends, they get pissed off and MY paycheck. They're in a bad mood, or old and think a dollar is a great tip, or they're from another country, run up a huge bill, and "forget" that in America, you pay for service again, MY paycheck. I'm telling you, it's horrible, all of these examples really happen.  If you think that tipping is for splashing money around you're out of your mind. And as for the rest of the staff, their paycheck doesn't get smaller if they do a bad job cooking, or bussing or dishwashing.

Nobody in a restaurant gets paid well, and competition for those really high-end restaurants is fierce. Splashing money around, that's a good joke.

Answer 10

Your question is just another example that Europeans don't understand Americans. Everything we do is suspect even acts of kindness.

Answer 11

I would be interested in just where you call home.  In the USA the wait staff are not paid minimum wage and their taxes are based on what the government thinks they will get in tips.  So the money earned as tips is not "tax free" as one responder indicated but is taxed even if you did not make as much in tips as has been assumed.  When I tip I am grateful to my wait person, they have served me a meal that I did not have to prepare, cook, serve, cleanup after etc.  If the service has been good then I leave a good tip, if it has been just adequate, I leave an adequate tip and for poor service I leave a minimum tip and an explanation of why the tip is minimal.  I will also speak with the management as needed both for service over and above and for poor service.  Most people are very discrete in regards to what they are tipping.  I know of no one who "splashes" around their money

Answer 12

No, that is what your suppose to do!  How would you like working for 2.13 per hour?  That is what servers are paid in my state.  The tips r their livelyhood!  If you don't want to pay your server 15-20% of your bill, then don't go out to eat!  They don't want you there anywayzzz!  BTW, the kitchen help CHOSE to be a cook.  If they wanted to be a server they would have applied to be a server.

Answer 13

No it's to show the server that they are appreciated for their good service. And the kitchen and other staff get paid VERY well at my work, and it's the same no matter how mediocre they do their job.

Answer 14

This AMERICAN can tell you no it does not make me feel big. If the waitress or waiter does their job then they get the tip that they deserve. I have left tips ranging from 2 pennies to $20.00.  

Just last week i dined out and my salad came out like a artist had displayed. I told her "Please let the prep person know that this is the most beautiful salad that i had ever seen."

I am not above these people for i have to make a living as well.

And for making me feel wealthy....... i only get that from the love of my family and friends for money will never make me rich - my paycheck won't allow that.

Answer 15

no servers do not even make minimum wage. The only income they get is from tipping. the kitchen does not make much but at least they get paid minimum wage. at least they are supposed to. we tip for a job well done, and because we understand that its hard to get by. It has absolutely nothing to do with ego.

Answer 16

Um, most servers make c**p for money, if we are talking hourly wage paid by employer- we have to live off the tips that the splashy and non-splashy may or may not leave us! I tend to be very nice to my customers-unless they are very rude 1st!  In which case they can take their crappy tip and stick it you no where!

Answer 17

I think I smell a cheapskate!

Answer 18

No it is not designed to make Americans feel wealthy and powerful.  Servers do not make even minimum wage.  I think it is less than 2.00 an hour and they rely on their tips for their income.

Kitchen staff make more per hour.  Most restaurants do tip share where the servers have to give a percentage of their tips to the bartender and door host or hostess.

If you don't like to tip and think it's such an ugly American custom, go to the drive thru.

Answer 19

Do you hate Americans? Cuz alot of countries tip their waiters lol...

Answer 20

Its a courtesy for good service; as for the kitchen support, what do you suggest they do? If you asked the waiter/waitress to give the kitchen support some of the tip, they'd laugh in your face, and generally, customers aren't allowed to go in the kitchen. That said, what would you do?

Answer 21

I get paid $2.83 an hour plus my tips in PA. I rely on my tips. The kitchen help gets paid from minimum wage to over $10 an hour!

If you realized what "big tips" were, then you would be shocked. I am a good waitress, but big tips aren't that frequent. I get the usual 20% and sometimes more, but nothing I would consider big.

Try waitressing for a few days and see if you get "big tips"..