Why do people stiff their server in a nice restaurant?

1. 73

   cyclrmomposted 14 years ago

   Why do people stiff their server in a nice restaurant?
   
   servers have to tip out to bus-ers and the bar on the total dollars of food sold.  If diners have not tipped correctly or at all, the server basically had to pay to serve the table that didn't tip them.  If the food was bad, tell management, but your server didn't cause that.  If people can't afford to eat in a nice restaurant and have money leftover for a tip, they shouldn't eat there in my opinion.

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2. 75

   Mom Katposted 14 years ago

   I was a waitress for about 5 years when I was younger.
   What I noticed was that those who don't tip, or don't tip well have different reasons:
   1. they don't have enough cash/money to do so.
   2. they had to wait a long time either to sit, or for their food.
   3. they were by other customers who upset them (too loud, or what have you - making their experience poor)
   4. they just don't consider tipping to be important - figuring they pay for the food, that should be enough since wait staff get a pay check. They don't really understand the scale.
   5. they had a rude or unfriendly waitress/waiter
   the list goes on.  the best thing you can do as a server is to be as nice as possible, appologize if food is taking too long, check back, and be the best server you can be.

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3. 92

   DzyMsLizzyposted 14 years ago

   Im my opinion, a better question would be, why don't we abolish tipping, and let the restaurants, hotels, etc. simply pay their staff a livable wage?
   
   It would make no difference in the final out-of-pocket cost to the customers--whether they have to figure out the amount of a tip, and pay that on top of the bill, or whether the prices go up to cover a proper wage, it's all the same in the end.
   
   I do tip, but I base it less on the amount of the bill than upon the type of service I have received.  If the server went over-and-above, yes, they will be very pleased with their tip.  If, however, they did nothing more than take my order, and let it be served to me by a busser or some other staffer, I will not feel they've earned a tip.  Servers should SERVE, and if they do not, it WILL BE reflected in the size of the tip I leave.  If all they did was take my order & bring the check, I won't feel that they did their job in SERVING.
   
   Bussers wear aprons, not always the cleanest, understandable, given the majority of their job description.  Thanks, though, I'd rather not have them handling my food order in proximity to that apron--and how do I know they washed their hands after the last table they bussed?
   
   Tipping aggravates me, as an outdated and 'expected' practice.  The original meaning of "tip" in that sense was an acronym, meaning, "To Insure Promptness."  It was given prior to service, not after, and was not dependent upon the amount of the tab.  It was rather more like slipping the Maitre d' a bill of some significant denomination to assure seating at a preferred table.
   
   The fact that the servers have to split their tips with bartenders and bussers is just wrong (and is not the customer's fault).  Pay the people a living wage, adjust prices accordingly, and everyone will be happy.  As it stands, the whole system is too complex, from customers having to figure the tip to servers having to figure out their splits, all the way up to filing their income tax reports.
   
   You have to work hard at something to make it this complicated.  Simplify and relax!  ;-)

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4. 71

   dashingscorpioposted 14 years ago

   I normally tip around 20%. However if the service was not great I'd probably tip less. I don't think I've ever stiffed a server.
   Having said that I would imagine there are proably few reasons why some people might not tip.
   
   1. Dreadful service (food arrived cold, server unfriendly or rude)
   
   2. Quality of food is disappointing.
   (It's not the servers fault but he/she is the face of the restaurant)
   In other lines of business a Sales Rep or Customer Service employee catches hell for product issues or shipping delays that's not their fault. The customer doesn't care whose fault it is they just want things to go as expected. (That's Life)
   
   3. Lack of funds or not enough worth leaving behind.
   Most of the time these days people use a credit card in nice restaurants so there is no real excuse for being short on cash.
   
   Having said that there are times in "group situations" where no one wants to volunteer to foot the bill on their card and collect the money later....etc. Everyone puts in their cash to cover their meals. Natuarlly some people ordered drinks and others didn't or some ordered salads and others ordered steak....etc
   
   Those who ordered less don't think it's fair to divide the bill equally nor do they want to tip beyond the normal percentage they would have had they had their own bill.
   The tip money they leave gets swallowed up to help cover the more expensive meals/drink orders.
   
   Sometimes people have different policies. One person never tips, another only tips at 10%, someone else may tip 15% and the total works out to being some embarrassingly low dollar amount that they decide to just walk out.
   
   Lastly there are people who take all of the cash and put the dinner on their credit card but don't leave a tip. No one else knows if he/she left a tip when the credit card slip is signed.
   
   (I try to avoid group dinners!)

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