Standard 18 % tip for 5 adults and 4 children?

Question

(One of the children was under 2) We had two checks one for 3 adults and one for the family of 5 that was with us. Why did Olive Garden include the tip in the bill? Was it really any different if we had 2 separate tables?

Answer 1

Tip is included to ensure that the waitress does get compensated (usually a waitress only makes around $2.00 plus tips).  Many people just leave a really small tip or none at all.  And it is different than having 2 different tables.  With two different tables you don't have to make sure everyone at both tables gets their food and everything else they need all at once.  You probably would have been quite ticked off if they brought half of the people's food at one time and then everyone else's 10 minutes later.  It is also alot harder to wait on a larger table.

Answer 2

MOST RESTAURANTS CHARGE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE PARTY.  JUST BECAUSE YOU PREFER TO SEPARATE THE CHILDREN FORM THE ADULTS, IT STILL MAKES FOR A PARTY OF EIGHT.

TO ALSO ADDS AN EXTRA RESPONSIBILITY TO THAT SERVER TO WAIT ON TWO TABLES AND THEREFORE, THAT INDIVIDUAL DESERVES MORE OF A TIP.  

YOU CAN ALWAYS CHECK THE POLICY OF THE RESTAURANT,  IT IS USUALLY PRINTED ON THE MENU THAT THEY WILL ADD THE TIP FOR YOU IF YOU HAVE A PARTY OF "SIX OR MORE".

JUST AS MUCH WORK FOR THE WAIT STAFF FOR TWO TABLES AS ONE IF YOU ARE IN THE SAME PARTY.  IF YOU REALLY FELT THAT YOU WERE OVER CHARGED, YOU COULD HAVE ASKED FOR THE MANAGER TO DEFINE THEIR POLICY FOR YOU AND THEY MAY HAVE EXCUSED THE EXTRA CHARGE TO WHICH YOU WERE OBJECTING.

Answer 3

i would complain to there corporate headquarters on what they did

Answer 4

they do this because of so many waitresses getting screwed out of a tip or very little tip.there has been many time that a bill would be over 100.00 and the waitress only get a 5 to10 dollar tip.which of course makes them mad because if they were an excellent or even just good waitress they spent all that time and effort on a big table that was more then likely taking up 2 or more tables to basically receive close to nothing.the manager or owner doesn't like to hear their waitresses get cheated out of money and so that they don't hear any more about this type of thing happening they make it a point that if it is a big group of people you MUST put gratuity on the bill to insure they get a descent tip.now the waitress does NOT have to do gratuity BUT if she chooses not to because of what ever reason and she gets a crappy tip then its her fault and no one elses.if they waitress doesn't put gratuity on the bill its because most likely she feels that she has done an excellent job and shes thinking she'll get a better than gratuity tip.

Answer 5

i was a waitress, the reason they do that is because when there's more people the bill can get pretty high, say you spent 100 bucks, they charge 18% because the waitress has to pay 3% of what your bill is, even if you don't tip. so the waitress did not get the full 18% of what you guys were charged. say you did not tip, she would have to pay 3 bucks out of her own pocket just for spending all that time waiting on you guys. doesn't seem fair right? the 3% goes to the host, bartender, and busboy. basically a waitress has to pay 3% of all her sales for the day.

so to save their own *** the waitress puts the 18% gratuity, but i would say if they did a good job and you planned to tip higher, then tip that extra little bit to show her you thought she did well.