I am a waitress and I would like your opinion on tipping.?

Question

I'm a waitress at an Italian Restaurant and I'm just curious to ask everyone what they think a "good tip" should be. In my opinion, 20% is a "good tip" and 15% is an OK tip. Anything below that and the waitress/waiter feels like they've done something wrong or either they are just plain cheap. Because for all of you that don't know out there, Servers do NOT get paid minimum wage, it's only $2.13 per hour, and most of that is deducted from your tips that you claim in your paycheck. So what we make from our tips is basically what pays the bills. I just need some opinions on this one please! Thanks!

Answer 1

i tip based on service. not on the total bill

if you are kick butt waitress i'll tip very well.

(when not busy in the restaurant) if you keep us waiting for our drinks, don't check on us and are crabby then your tip will be less or nil

Answer 2

I am a waitress also but I get minimum before tips which in CA is $8/hr. So I believe the greater issue at hand is that  you are only getting $2.13/hr. I would find out why you are not getting at least minimum and or start looking around for a different job.

Answer 3

I don't know where you live, but where I live, nobody is allowed to work for less than minimum wage, server or not. It is against the law.

As for tipping, a 15% tip is standard and with that the order is expected to be right and the service is prompt and consistent. For exceptional service a 20 or 25% tip is normal, but that is if the drinks are kept refilled, the server is courteous and goes out of their way to make the experience pleasant. A 10% is acceptable for poor service. Or if the food is delivered cold or is not acceptable and the server makes no effort to correct it, the server is insulting, and the drinks are never refilled, no tip is an option. Nobody has the right to be deliberately insulted while partonizing a restauraunt, whether they are the staff or a patron, my opinion.

Personally, I usually tip 15%, but I also attempt to make the server's job as easy as possible in other ways that are not monetary. I don't have a lot of extra money and if it is a choice of giving a large tip one time and not being able to return again that week, or eating at a restaurant twice and giving a 15% tip each time I come to a restaurant,  I think consistency has its value. It also depends on what the server is expected to do and how eletist a restaurant it is.

Answer 4

15% may be "standard" but with inflation the public should really consider 20% as the standard for good service.  I waited tables for 10 years and what I always said when I dealt with cheap people was " I wasn't put here on earth to serve you for free"  I tip 20% for good service and 30-35% if not more for excellent service.  You work very hard and it's nice to feel appreciated.

Answer 5

25 % for excellent service. I know it is hard work.

20 % for good/ok service

10% for not so good service

If the service was horrible, the waitress didn't serve me, let the dishes build up, or was nowhere to be found. I would leave no tip or a $1 bill to be kind.

Answer 6

my husband is a manager at arestaurant and when we go out we ussually tip on how fast it takes to bring our drinks if you bring our kids food with our appetitizer .Also our meal should not take more than 20 min your eta (estimated time of arrival) should not take more than that make sure drinks are always full .Believe me my husband tips some times 40 or 50 dollars he normally starts at 25 dollars every mistake you make he deducts 1 dollar .I HATE when the waitress talks to us while were eating i think its so rude .keep small talk very short

Answer 7

If service is good I always tip at least 20% If I am very unhappy with the service and it is obviously the server and not the kitchen I will tip around 10%. If it is clearly a kitchen problem I will give the server a fair 20%.

Answer 8

Ok, heres some other facts you left out...

1. Not all restaurants pay 2.13 an hour.. I know of MANY that pay over minimum wage (which is actually what 6.15 an hour now or something?) Several places pay 8-10 bucks an hour for starting wages. So.. you can't use that as an excuse if you want a better wage.. go find a better job just like the rest of us.

2. We typically tip 15% to a "good" service. Unless it is "great" they don't get anymore. You may need the money but so do I!!!!!

3. I was a waitress for years and I never felt as though someone was "cheap" because if I may not make 15% on one table the next table who gives me 30% makes up for it. It all balances out on a typical shift!

Answer 9

I don't think you should be tipped... how come you should get tips for doing your job?

Answer 10

Few facts first:

Most business will not allow their employees (sales people taking customers out etc) to tip more than 15%.  This is because the tax laws require proof if you tip more.  So basically the IRS, as well as business feels 15 % is fair.

Some people have mentioned inflation:  The point here is that we are talking percentage not dollar amount.  

Basically a percentage is fair to both the waiter and the customer because the percentage does take into consideration inflation.  

When the menu price goes up the amount of the tip will go up because it is a percentage of the price.  Actually if we take the percentage up it will increase inflation and then before we know it the percent will need to rise again.  I know this is basic economics, but I also understand that many people work very hard for their tips and it can sometimes be difficult to see both sides in an issue like this.

Personally I think:

15% is a solid and fair percentage for a tip.   I will tip 20 or even a bit more if the service was good or if it's easier to round up a bit etc.  I will say that I'm not crazy tipping at places where tips are shared.  When my waitress does a great job I don't think she should have to share with some kid that just picks up the dishes.

Peace.

Answer 11

Hello

Give Good Service/Attend well with Smile to Customer.

You will get Good tips.

If Tip not given, take it easy.

[e-mail]

Answer 12

Try not to "weigh" each individual tip.  Best way to see how your tips were for the day is to just check your tips against your total sales for the day.  It's just too aggravating when you get 10% or less and it will upset you for your next table.  Yes, sometimes the tip will be low due to something that went awry with the service, some people are just cheap.  But for the most part, people will tip 15% or better.  My wife and I both used to work in restaurants so if we even SEE food, we tip 15%.  If the service is good, we tip %20 and if it's great I'll tip up to 33%.  So try not to get too wrapped up in how each table tipped, look at your daily work.  Hope that helps, waiting can be highly profitable if you are good and work at the right restaurant.  Oh, and if the waitress is cute I tip higher too, lol!

Answer 13

i dont tip based on percentages of the bill, I tip based on service.  The better the service the more I tip

Answer 14

if the service is good 15%

if the service is great 20%

if the service is excellent 25%

Answer 15

15% is standard and 20% is a generous tip  (usually made by a guy on a date or someone who worked for tips at sometime in their life) Also some place pay more. I got $3.35 as a base pay in 1991.

Answer 16

My husband and I always tip 20% for good service, more for great service, 15% for okay service, less for poor service. When we head out for a meal, we want a stress free environment and a server who's well informed, attentive without being overbearing and polite. We don't deduct tip for anything we know is not the server's fault (like our steak cooked to the wrong temperature) but we will if she forgets our spoon for the soup. I would like to think that people do tip according to the level of service they receive, but I'm afraid you will get a few people who are either, as you put it cheap, or who just don't understand the tipping technique and the importance of it. I went out with my husband's co-worker once who told me she always tipped $10, no matter how much the bill was. Naturally, I was mortified.

Answer 17

i've tipped as much as $20.00 before. Its all about quality of service for me. everyone has bad nights but dont take it out on your customers. I love friendly waiters they get my moneys :)

Answer 18

I think minimum wage is different in every State.   In Oregon minimum wage is $7.95 even for Waitresses.  Even though they make a decent wage before tips, they still expect to get a tip for service well done.  Most restaurants makes them pool the tips and share with bussers, cooks, and hostesses, so even if you pull a 20% tip, you won't be bringing it all home.

I think 15% for basic service is fine, but when you get individualized care and attention, service with a smile, then reward them with a large tip to show how much you appreciated their service

Answer 19

My husband and I eat out often, tip between 18% and 20% for good service, more for great service and less for bad service (if a server is more interested in chatting with co-workers or is generally rude/unaware.)

Answer 20

I also believe that 20% is a good tip and 15% is an average tip - depending on the level of service $2.13 /hourly (former waitress myself).  Unfortunately, I don't like the idea that the customer is felt obligated to pay  for the waiter/waitresses lack of pay.  I feel the business should be paying the employee more and the customer can tip for "exceptional" service provided.

Answer 21

Well, I can tell you now that you are not going to like what I have to say, BUT if you think about the things, rather than just get mad, I guarantee your tips will improve. Wait staff expecting tips, regardless of quality of service,  is a pet peeve of mine, so you are going to get one honest answer.  

First, I have NEVER left a tip based on a percentage of what the food costs.  Why should two equally great waitresses get different tips just because one works at a burger joint and the other a 5 star restaurant?   I have also left zero for a $100 meal and I have left $15 for a $15 meal.  Seriously.

To me, a tip is a tip.  A tip was meant to be for something EXTRA a waiter/ waitress does, not just take the order, bring the food and bill.  Most people expect that much and for it to be done in a freindly manner.  They are still customers and it is still their hard earned money they are spending.  Here are some actual examples of examples of tips and why I tipped the way I did.  

Inexpensive pancake house.  I HATE warm OJ.  The waitress actually chilled me a mug, put the OJ in the freezer for me and brought ice, just in case it wasn't cold enough.  She not only did so, but it was her idea!  All I asked of her was if she could wait to bring the OJ until my food was ready, so it would still be somewhat cold.  She also didn't interupt our conversation to ask a hundred questions.  Extra napkins just appeared.  The bill was less than $20 but I left her a $15 tip.  $4 would have been 20%.  Why?  She just went over and above and DESERVED a big tip.  I don't thing of tips as something a wait person is OWED.  It is EARNED.  It has nothing to do with being cheap.  I left feeling like I had eaten at a restaurant that would have charged $30 for the breakfast.  

I leave very large tips like that for anything extra they do that is above and beyond.  Just a few like the OJ example that prompt us to leave large tips, way over 20%   I love it when they ask if I'd like my last cola refill in a to go cup.  No, not the watered down one I have been sipping on for an hour that cost $3, but a fresh one, esp. when it's hot out.  Or, if it's freezing and they attempt to sit me in the warmest area of the restaurant.  We order something obviously messy and they without asking or being asked, just descreetly leave several extra on the table as they pass by.  Sometimes I have no idea they have even done it.  That's pretty smooth.  When those things happen, I feel like I have been actually waited on and that wait person desrves a big tip.

A list of things that automaticlly mean NO tip from us.

1. The wait person tells us how busy or how tired they are.  We are tired of cooking and that's why we are eating out.  I don't want to go pay for food and hear the wait person complain.  I want to relax.  I guess some feel bad for them and may tip more generously if they complain or whine, but we don't at all.  

2.  The wait person actually sits at our table to take our order.  That is so rude.  Again, if tired, take it up with your manager and take a break.

3.  The food comes out obviously not what we ordered and they ask, "Can I get you anything else?"  Yes, what I ordered.  Really, it's the wait person's job to make sure what you ordered gets to your table.

4. I hear them complain to other wait staff about tips left by others.  Again, I am out to relax, not listen to complaining.

5. No silverware by the time the food has arrived.

6.  Asking us to hand them dirty plates, S&P shakers, etc. so that they can fill them when we one or both of us is still eating.  It's just rude and needs to wait until the table is empty and the guests are gone.  Along with that, asking if we are done with cetain plates when there's still food on them and we are obviously eating.

7.  The food comes and it's just missing a minor thing but I have to wait until the rest of my food is cold before the wait person gets around to bringing something easy.  For example, you order a burger w/ mayo on the side.  No mayo comes.  TThe wait person is reminded.  10-15 minutes later when my burger is ice cold, they finally arrive w/ the mayo.  

8.  Despite the restaurant being very empty and it just being my husband and I , we are seated right next to a child throwing a screaming tantrum, so we ask to move a couple of tables away.  The wait person says they need to keep their tables side by side so that it easier for them.  Well, if walking 8 more feet to serve us 2 booths away so we can hear ourselves think, forget talking to each other,  is too much for them any tip is way too much for them as well.  

They are going to get a very low tip if the following happens.

1.  Have to find them or flag them down for extra napkins, a long past due refill.  

2.  The food isn't cooked properly and they don't come back just shortly after serving it to see if all is well.

3.  After waiting a long time to get our order taken, the wait person doesn't take it to the kitchen and instead holds it while she takes the order from a party of 10 that have no clue what they want.  It's not that hard to figure out that group is going to take a long time to order and our order should be taken to the kitchen before that.  Again, waiting is about walking and walking some more.  A wait person just looks like they thing our order wasn't as important , or our tip, since we are only a party of 2, when they can't walk a few more feet and turn our order in first.

4.  The wait person doesn't seem to have the time to check on if we need anything, but seems to have plenty of time to horse around with friends.  

A final note and THE most important thing you need to know.  This is from my friends that earn huge tips as servers over the years.  A good wait person needs to learn how to read their guests.  Some people like to chat with their servers, others don't.  We frequent one restaurant that we feel the waitress is just too loud and over friendly.  Yes, she goes through the whole thing, "Welcome to XXXXXXX.  Our drink specials are XXXXX, even though we stop her and say we don't drink alchohol, she keeps right on with the list like she is a recording or something.  We won't even sit in her section.   So, being able to "read" the guests shortly after they sit down is SO important.  You have to keep in mind that while one set of guests may be celebrating a birthday and is all up to jokes, etc., another table might just have came from a funeral and is not in the mood to chat.  Also, NEVER interupt when someone is having a conversation.  Some go out to eat just to have a conversation with the person or persons they are dinning with.  Just wait until there is a pause when you walk up.  

Like a lot of people, wether it be wait staff or a sales person on percentage, have CHOSEN jobs that your pay is directly related to your daily performance.  You can find a job that pays minimum wage or more, or you can knock yourself out to maximize those tips just like a salesperson does to get higher commission.  You have got to put a lot into it and I am NOT saying it's easy, but like any job, you really reap what you sow, it's just like a job performance rating at every table instead of once a year like many other jobs when raise time (or not) rolls around.  

OK.  I told you you wouldn't like it, but TRY not to do the things I listed and DO the things I said I leave big tips for.  Over the years, I have found a ot of people feel the same way about the things I have listed.  On the other hand, some will get out the calculator and give you a % tip no matter how good/ bad the service was. You can't change those people, but you can maximize the who tip thing by paying close attention to detail.  It really is a detail oriented job and a lot of wait staff think it's just- take order, bring food, leave bill.   I also have friends that have been servers.  They agree it's always those over and above personal things they get huge tips for.  And that the "No's" I have listed are pretty common sense to seasoned wait persons.   Try it.  What do you have to lose?  Your tips definitely won't go down, they could only go up.  I once passed all of this on to a nephew.  The first week alone, he had $100 extra in tips and business was slower that week than the next.  At his employer, they kept track of the wait person's overall tip percentage.  If they got low tips consistently, they were let go.  The ones that got the highest % in tips (based on $ of food served) got chosen to work the wedding receptions, special events, etc. After he started really trying to read each table and their specific needs, he earned over 1 K Easter weekend at the hotel's Easter Brunch.   Not too darn shabby!  LOL  Good luck.

Answer 22

Me and my bf always try to tip 20%. I worked at a restaurant for 6 years  (not as a server) and it was always sad to see my girls go home with $35 or $40 in tips for a hard working night! Of course the restaurant is in a rural area, so the more people and the more affluent the area, the better the tips!

Answer 23

I had a friend a long time ago that felt it was unfair to have to leave tips.  The service was part of the waiter's job and she was getting a wage for doing it.  If she didn't like her hourly wage, she could find another job.  I didn't agree with my friend because I felt she was just cheap in general and was trying to get out of parting with her money.  She was from a well to do family, too.

I give 15% based on the subtotal, pretty well for any meal because I can't afford to eat out a lot and frankly there is always some thing wrong with the service (it almost always has to do with being forgotten about after the food is served).  80% of the servers don't deserve more than 15%.  On the other hand, I have been known to write on my serviette a note for the waitress about how much she sucked, or alternatively that I thought the service was excellent.

I was a waitress too and I know that little old people don't like to tip very well as a general rule, maybe because they remember times when they truly had no money (during war, etc.) and to this day, have a hard time parting with it.

Answer 24

Excuses excuses excuses! Anyone who feels they should not tip, or that 10% is adequate should serve for a week. Once the tables are turned, you'll change your tune. Of course you should take the service into account, but you also have to not be nit-picky and realize that there are a lot of issues (food time, food that's cooked wrong, etc) that the server does not control. It's 2008 people, tip 20% and stop whining about it. If you don't like it, go to McDonald's.

Answer 25

20% is good.  15% is ok.  But people in my parents genration feel 15% is good.  It all depends on the person and their background.  Provide great service, help the customer with recommendations and be personable.  this will lead to good tips!

Answer 26

I went out the other night with other mommies...I had to wait longer than expected for my order to be taken, but otherwise the waitress was awesome. My drink was refilled pretty much as soon as I was done, friendly, etc.

If you are friendly, courteous, etc. then definitely we'll tip good. If you're just trying to get through the night but still bring food/drinks on time etc then 10%. If we hardly ever see you or are rude we don't bother. I know that most if not all restaurants divy up the tip between everyone who had a part in it, but my thinking is that you know that, if you're going to expect a tip and treat me like c**p then forget it.