I sort of read it that way too, but I don't think that was the intent.

I've never come away from someplace like Denny's or IHOP with a bill of $6, but if I did, I'd probably tip $4-6. I sure as hell wouldn't wait on me for 30-60 mins with several trips to the table for drinks and food and ordering and clearing for $5. I was a bartender, and I don't think I ever tip just 15% unless the service is bad.

If I'm someplace really nice, and the bill reflects it, then the service should too, but I'm also not going to tip 50-100%, as the bill goes up, my tip will probably go down to about 20%. We had our wedding dinner at a very fancy place in Houston (I think only 12 people) and I think I tipped 25% for that and the bill was (to me) huge, but the service was spectacular, and it was totally worth it.

Great food with moderate to bad service will likely be less enjoyable than average food with spectacular service.

What's wrong with that?

I wear the badge proudly.

In fact sometimes I think my wife forgets my name is not Richard.

One of my interview questions used to be, "How are you at dealing with *******s? Cause I can tend to be one."

Not as crazy as it sounds. People who were a bit taken aback and stumbled to answer would never have survived that company.

Oh, I know I can be a dick, and I am totally comfortable with that :) I was just josh'n on Paul... he'd be the last person here to make an effort to be a dick.

Answer: Hire me and I'll show ya how it's done ;).

I swear....I dunno how I ever got a job....much less a nice career :). Maybe it was because I was the constant super performer and 1, 2, and 3rd line managers were like sagebrushes in the wind. Some liked me, some didn't, and the one's I had no use or respect for knew it...

Let's stop beating around the bush.

She was a thief, embezzler, and swindler.

Thank you for confronting the low life and retaining what was rightfully yours.

My older brother would put a pile of ones on the table in front of the waitperson and say "TIPS means To Insure Proper Service. This is your tip." When they did something wrong or took too long he would remove a dollar from the stack in front of them...We ALWAYS got horrible service and he probably got his food rubbed in the dirt too.

In college I worked as a cook in a pizza and beer joint. The waitstaff discussed tips and how the prettier girls always got better tips even if they gave horrible service. All the waitresses were pretty cute so they decided to have a tip contest. This one chick made more than the rest of the girls put together. She pulled out a Fisher Price Kids movie camera you could hold up to the light, turn the crank, and watch Road Runner cartoons. She gave them to her tables to keep them entertained while they were waiting for their food. Also, if one of her tables ordered a pitcher of beer she would challenge them. If they could drink a beer faster than she could she would give them the pitcher free. Think some of her tables ordered pitchers and took the challenge just to watch her. It was amazing, one gulp and the glass was empty. Never saw anyone faster.

My best friend from Belgium is totally amazed at out tipping system. When he visits he feels overly obligated to be generous. He knows they are so low paid he feels he needs to. We frequent mostly the same places and we are easily remembered. Mostly reliable service.

Back home the staff is paid as professionals and service is to be expected the same.

Here is a question - is it better to pay the tip in cash or add it to the card? We tend to do the cash thing. Just always seemed better, cash in their hand than on the books.

Terry

Well no surprise there.

Is your brothers name Richard?

Sweet lord are there some cheap ass mother fuchers on this forum.

Nope, his name is Bob. And I have other siblings as well, Janette, Doris, Tom, and George. Bob is the oldest, I am the youngest.

I tip based on both food and service, and tip in cash. If the meal and service was acceptable I go 20%. If really good more, if bad less.

Never had someone NOT bring me the change. Only when in a party of dinners over six or they have to pull tables together have had them add the tip to the bill.

Also always tip the valet at least a couple bucks.

Werd

Methinks there are two distinctly seperate camps....those who have ever worked in the industry (servers, bartenders, etc.) and those who haven't. I have not...what's a tip :)?

I keed, I keed....

There was a waitress in a brew pub in town that was a fantastic server. Really a pro at what she did. She remembered the names of her regulars and semi regular customers, remembered what they drank, remembered to come around to re order drinks or just to chat.
When the brew pub franchised and opened up in a smaller city where I was doing some work, I watched her almost single handedly serve the whole restaurant.
I bet her take on the night was probably pretty close to $500 in tips and she deserved every single dollar of it.
My take is that they are paid (tipped) to provide good service and if they give good service they get paid well.
Typically I will tip 20% sometimes a bit more on an excellent meal and service. If it is just a couple of beer after work, usually around 15%. If a server doesn't clear the plates from the table before bringing the bill the tip goes down. Bad service and bad food doesn't warrant a tip.

Tru dat. And the really good tippers just barely offset them. So, you could be a fantastic server, getting 20-30% tips all the time. But some of the low/non-tippers in this thread get seated in your section and those great tips you got, when averaged with these guys, work out to about 15%. That's why you need to work in an expensive place. 15% of $2000 is twice as much as 15% of $1000, and earning it is not much more, if any, work. Let the noob servers work in Denny's and IHOP. The pros should go to Ruth's Chris and the like.

Some of the responses here remind me of my dad when he was getting older, into his 70's and then 80's. "I'm not gonna buy a Coke, that's how they get you!" "Where's my cake!" And then he'd order off a children's menu the $2.99 special and then leave a $0.42 cent tip...

This must be an age thing.

Was your brother also a Third Rock From The Sun/Cheers fan?

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For the record, I usually tip 20%. But yes, I can be cheap :)

Let's say you go out to dinner on Friday night at your favorite restaurant. You order a caesar salad@ $13, and a couple glasses of wine @ $8 each. Total bill for you and your wife is $60. You leave a $12 tip.

Next, weekend, same restaurant, same server. You and your wife go for the prime rib and nicer glasses of wine. Total bill is $140. Do you tip $28? Your server performed the exact same function as the weekend before.

I don't. As the bill goes up, given the same service (nothing extraordinary), I start scaling down my % to 15. Never 10 unless its bad service or bad food.

Yes.

I wouldn't keep showing up if I tipped like that. You're not gonna get anything useful. How it works.

rjp

If you're really cool
 

I got the severs to tip ME.

-of course, I emptied my pockets for this one, it's the thought that counts.


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The sit down place that I frequent:

They have my drink ready to take to whichever table I want as they see me in the parking lot.

They are starting on my soup and salad that I always have as part of my order as I walk in the door. From when I walk in to when I'm munching on a salad is about 40-80 seconds. unless they are really busy.

If I go to a restaurant a few times in a row and no one remembers me, I don't go there anymore.