Do you think tips are fair?

Question

And don't give me Mr Pink's views about tipping.

Where I live, tipping is often overlooked at, and nobody expects you to go over 10%. But at some other places, people are expected to tip 25% or even more.

Don't you get the feeling that you should just pay for what you ate/bought, or am I being a huge cheap b*****d?

Answer 1

It is something that will never go away. Tradition as well as an incentive for pleasant and good service. Personally I prefer to go and get it myself then go to the cash. Many people like to be waited on so they pay for it. If you go to an expensive place why not just tack on to the food. Do you tip your mail man, oil man, bank clerk, bag boy at the store and so on?  Should we call it discrimination ? Most people that get tips cheat the people on taxes anyways.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, it has become a necessity.  The restaurants  do not pay their staff appropriately; I think partially because the staff will earn tips (double edged sword).  

In addition, the government takes it's cut out of the tips (that are supposed to be a "bonus").  I know of one waiter that actually received a zero dollar check, due to his tips and government taxes (my co-worker at the time)!  

The tips shouldn't be taxed. The staff should get paid decently.  Then we could stop tipping as a requirement, and more of an "appreciation".  That would be nice.  Good question.

Answer 3

you are cheap , tips are fair for those hard working people,

Answer 4

yes most waiters make like 2.13 an hour they surive off tips

Answer 5

I never did understand why you should leave more tip if they brought you a $20.00 steak than if they brought you a $5.00 burger.  I think the % rule is Stupid.

Answer 6

I think it shoud be according to how much money you get per month.

Answer 7

T I P S = To Insure Prompt Service

What is NOT fair is to expect someone making 1/3 of the national minimum wage to cater to YOUR every need without YOU showing a little gratitude (and compassion even!)

I just hate seeing obnoxious and rude people treat their server with disrepect as if the server is beneath them just because they work as a server!  

Servers have to deal with customers that are rude, picky or finicky, unorganized, in a hurry or just plain cheap!

If you can't understand or don't read the menu correctly, want to substitute items on the menu, need extra this or that, like more condiments or different condiments than are the restaurants standard or if you don't like the way the kitchen prepared your food it is the server who has to address YOUR needs and act as YOUR personal agent to get what YOU want.  (Not to mention the other customers at other tables.)

People who tip poorly or treat their server badly should be made to wait tables for a day to see just how hard it is to please all the different people who come in.

To answer the last question you asked; If you did have to "just pay for what you ate" you would have to find your own table that is clean and has condiments filled up, get your own tableware, napkins and drinks, stand in a line leading into the kitchen behind all of the other customers to get your food and clean up your own table when you are done.

In other words, people who don't want to tip should stick to the fast food places!

Answer 8

high rates are ridiculous, but I think if you have enough money, you should help them out, regardless of the government and manager's faults for their low wages. But if you are low on money, do not feel ashamed to give a low tip or not one at all. I don't think anyone should be expected to tip, but it is a very good thing to if you are blessed with enough money

Answer 9

Yes I do.

I fly air tours and I get some large tips on occasion, but they aren't expected.  A tip should be reserved for someone who has done an exceptional job serving you.

Answer 10

if you don't want to tip, then don't go out to eat. Cook and clean up after yourself by yourself. If restaurant industry was forced to pay the servers a decent wage that would allow you not to have to tip, where do you think that money would come from? Not from the restaurant owners pocket that's for sure. They would keep their profit and charge more for the food, and you'd still be the one paying your servers salary but now there would be no incentive for your server to give you quality service. Think about it.

Answer 11

Tip is derived from the 16th century verb 'tip', which meant "to give unexpectedly."  Notice the word unexpectedly.  Tipping is at the customer's discretion.  It is a thank you to the server for a job well done, and for going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure a pleasant dining experience for the patron.  However much that is should be left is up to the diner, but to me it is rude and presumptuous for any server to expect a 20% tip when all they put forth was a minimal effort.  Taking my order and bringing me my food with no interaction in between is a part of your job description.  Tips warrant some sort of additional effort.    

Back in the day (when my dad was a boy, and he's a senior citizen now,) tips were put on the table as soon as the party was seated.  The server knew that if the service was exceptional and the customer never had to ask for anything, that dollar amount was their "bonus" for a job well done.  Any time the customer had to wait for anything or ask for a refill, money was deducted from the tip accordingly.

Lots have changed since then, and the restaurant industry wised up to the extra money that their employees were making.  Of course they were going to find a way to include that as a part of their income to lower their hourly wages!  They have businesses to run and a bottom line to watch.  I think it's horrible how little servers get paid hourly, but as long as people are accepting jobs at those low wages nothing is going to change about the industry.  It's unfair for a server to expect the diner to make up the difference of their unfair pay when they were the ones who took the job in the first place.  Minimum wage in the state of California is up to $8 an hour as of January 1.  If you're tired of making so little, get a job for at least that somewhere else.

I gladly tip for good service.  I give great tips for exceptional service.  I have a hard time tipping someone who's forgotten I'm waiting for them to bring me my food or fill up my water glass when it's been empty for the last 15 minutes.  

No one said the job of a server is easy, and I appreciate everyone who does the job well.  Reward those who do their job well.  If they don't deserve it, save it for someone who does.

Answer 12

i usually tip 20% at a good restaurant.  If there's more than 6 of us, I don't mind paying 25% tip.  

if it's buffet, i'll leave a couple bucks on the table but not 20%.

And if the waitress/waiter sucks, i'll give them 10%.

Do you totally suck?  Are you quick draw when it comes to refilling the drinks, getting high chairs, or helping with coats, do you greet everyone with a smile and box their food for them?  Don't be stingy on the breadsticks and rolls.  Keep everything refilled even when the guests can't keep up.  do you let the person wait forever for the bill and forever to pick it up?  

I hate it when they just leave the boxes on the table and you have to do it yourself.  It's almost like doing your own dish.  Part of the meal is paying for the guy to serve you.  If i had to do by myself, I would just stay home.

Bring out the afterdinner mints!  More for extra tip.  Bag the sauces and the leftover soup.  You're just going to throw it away anyway.

I don't think that 20% should just be expected.  Earn it and i'm willing to give it.

Answer 13

As a server, I would say you're being a huge cheap b*****d. You have a personal slave, practically, for the hour you eat. In Massachusetts, servers make $2.63 and hour. Our rent money is your tip. So yes, some places feel they deserve more than 10% because they served you well. If you never have an empty glass of soda, your food is hot and cooked the way you asked, if you get everything you want and your server is nice and has a smile on their face, they deserve more than $4 or $5.

If you think about it, how much would you want if you had our job? Next time you leave a tip, keep in mind your server still has a smile on their face- with less than $3 an hour.

Answer 14

Many people think the same way as you do but maybe look at it this way... when it comes to the food business, if you feel like you should only pay for what you ate/bought then you should most likely eat at a fast food establishment or wherever there is no "service" given.  

Wait staff go out of their way (or should anyways) to make sure you have a very enjoyable outing without having to do anything yourself.  They also make below minimum wage and bust their asses for the public.  If wait staff was paid a descent amount then I would agree with you, but they don't.  It is a true fact that the better they are with their customers, the more money they make.

Answer 15

No, i feel the same way.

It doesnt need to be murphys law you tip the waiter whether they were good or not, but tipped if theyve done an exceptional job

IHS

Answer 16

You determine whether a tip is fair when you tip. If you don't tip fairly, then yes, you're being cheap and should eat at home.

Answer 17

Yes. I live in Michigan and waiters and waitresses only get 2.65 an hour. I don't think people know this unless they have worked in the industry. I got that pay 30 years ago. The owners of restaurants refuse to pay their servers more. They say that if they had to pay their employees a decent wage  and eliminate tipping , the price of your meal would go up 25 to 30 percent.  If you get good service please tip 20 percent if not tip less, but please tip.

Answer 18

You shouldn't HAVE to tip anyone.  Tips are used as a thank you for good service.  You shouldn't have to feel obligated to tip your waiter/waitress if you don't feel they did a good job.

Ultimately, it's up to you and how you feel about it.

Answer 19

Personally, I think tips should be XXXamount per person per meal......like $2 per person....that would be a better way....

Answer 20

They would only not be fair if waiters made a bunch of money hourly.  Usually waiters make about $2/hr, so to not tip them is doing a horrible injustice.  I am a server and the only reason I care so much about being tipped is the fact that the $2 I am making will be taken away in taxes which means I make $0/hr on a table that doesn't tip me.  If that's fair to you, you are a mean person.   I am sure you can understand that.

A waiter making $2/hr doesn't have to do a darn thing, but a waiter making tips from customers has to cater to their needs.  If tipping is an inconvenience to you, please by all means, with all due respect, don't sit down at a table and expect service from someone else.

It's really not our fault as waiters, but more so the idea of corporate restaurant companies that wanted to save money by paying less and making the consumer pay more.  Please don't take it out on your waiter by not tipping, they are just trying to make a living.

10% is fine if you came in ate for 20 minutes and left, but what if you sat there for hours and held up a table that a waiter could have had 4 other customers at?  Is 10% really fair?  No it's just selfish.

Answer 21

I feel the staff should be paid a decent wage, and that the tips should go away

Answer 22

My wife and I  have a few restaurants that we eat at regularly.  I always leave at least a 15% tip.....but it's usually closer to 20%.  The wait staff knows us, and we always get excellent service.

The people in those jobs work hard for small paychecks. Most only make minimum wage, because their employers expect that they will make more in tips. A good waiter, or waitress can make more in tips for a day than he / she can from wages.

Answer 23

I have always be fine with tipping knowing that servers get paid very minimal. And I always leave at least 15% but usually 20. But more and more it seems like we have to tip for almost everything. Tip jars now sit on counters at donut places and even some fast food restaurants. I'm always questioning myself on who I'm suppose to tip and how much. Am I suppose to tip the personal trainer even though I pay the gym for the hour?? Do I tip the guy that delivers my furniture even though I pay a delivery fee? It just seems to be getting too complicated. I agree with some of the others, maybe servers should be paid more.