Do You Tip At Restaurants?

[onyx'girl]

When I worked as a server, we had to tip out the bartender, busperson....not ever the chefs. And the law was, at that time, 8% of your sales had to be claimed tip-wise. So if you didn't make it, you still had to claim it.
I was a bartender for a couple years at the same place and made
really really good $. Especially when we had banquets.

Hard work, I was in great physical shape, though my lungs were probably crying from the second hand smoke I was forced to breathe.

[Anitsisqua]

Originally Posted by Syaoransbear

But don't servers split their tip money with the chefs in some places?

I don't really understand how restaurants in the united states are able to get away with paying their servers less than minimum wage. Isn't minimum wage... minimum wage? How can you go lower lol?

Not any place I worked. I've never heard of it, either. Servers tipshare with bartenders, hostesses, and busboys, but the chefs are paid independently.

And it is assumed that you will make tip money, so there is a separate minimum wage for servers that is lower than the standard minimum wage.


...Also, bartending was awesome, onyx girl. I loved it. Fortunately, we were a smoke-free establishment.

I had to quit, though.

One of the servers bent me over the beer cooler, ground on me, and kissed my neck. Not only did the manager not do anything to him (Mexican men are just more physical! He didn't mean anything by it!) , but he threatened action against me for hitting him.

...Disgusting.

Too bad. I spent two enjoyable years there.

[Syaoransbear]

Originally Posted by Anitsisqua

And it is assumed that you will make tip money, so there is a separate minimum wage for servers that is lower than the standard minimum wage.

That is absolute bullcrap. I can't believe servers aren't fighting this. You can't just decrease someone's pay under the assumption that there might be money.

[Anitsisqua]

Originally Posted by Syaoransbear

That is absolute bullcrap. I can't believe servers aren't fighting this. You can't just decrease someone's pay under the assumption that there might be money.

My guess is that the average server would have no idea where to begin fighting. I know I wouldn't have. I mean, I was 18, a full-time student, and felt lucky I'd even gotten a job.

[GatorBytes]

In Ontario there is minimum wage and server minimum wage a $1.30 diff. This is up from when I bartended...when I started it was 3.50/hr. gradually went up to 5.95 and then there was a min. wage freeze for approx. 10 yrs. at that rate...it's now 8.95.

If you work in a Non-licensed establishment (no liquor lic.), then the min. wage is at par w/someone who works in any min. wage job. These places are far and few between - mostly breakfast places like Cora's...bonus too - don't have to work to 3 am.

I worked in high volume places mostly so a paycheque was more mad money - we claimed in tips whatever we saw fit at tax time - most didn't, I know the gov. is working on changing that and w/all the debit and credit it's getting easier for them to....that said as a bartender I was tipped out, depending on the establishments protocol - then ave. was 1-1.5% of servers sales before tax...usually a server tipped out a busser (if had one) and bartender - rare was tipping out the kitchen - HOWEVER - now, amounts are upwards of 3-4% of servers tips to house, so bar, kitchen, busser, hostess and now management - and also a "breakage" charge - usually a flat rate (one place the owner was taking $10/shift, regardless what you sold or made) AND, you have to pay for mistakes, walk outs (dine and dash)!

Tip your servers!

[huntergreen]

Originally Posted by Anitsisqua

Not any place I worked. I've never heard of it, either. Servers tipshare with bartenders, hostesses, and busboys, but the chefs are paid independently.

And it is assumed that you will make tip money, so there is a separate minimum wage for servers that is lower than the standard minimum wage.


...Also, bartending was awesome, onyx girl. I loved it. Fortunately, we were a smoke-free establishment.

I had to quit, though.

One of the servers bent me over the beer cooler, ground on me, and kissed my neck. Not only did the manager not do anything to him (Mexican men are just more physical! He didn't mean anything by it!) , but he threatened action against me for hitting him.

...Disgusting.

Too bad. I spent two enjoyable years there.

in my corner of the world, that is considered sexual assault. should have went to the police. of course if this had been my daughter, i wouldn't need the police to put an end to it.

[Daisy]

Don't go out much, but I tip at least 20% for good service. I did tip bad service once (order wrong, slow refills, etc.) because I could tell she was harried. I asked her what was up and she said she was new. So, I tipped her the usual. I don't tip in tip jars at coffee houses, food lines like Izzos, etc. I feel these people are paid a wage to do their job.

[lorihd@comcast.net]

20% is the norm around here

[TrickyShepherd]

I always tip. The service has to be absolutely terrible and rude to get my mad enough to not tip well. I start at 20%. That's usually where it generally stays... unless you outshine what is expected, or really screw up.

Twice I've left 3 pennies as an insult. Both times there waitress was nasty, slow, and made my time out miserable. She did probably EVERYTHING you can do wrong.

I am a very generous tipper though... so is my SO. I've been a waitress before and completely understand the work and stress involved. Treat me well, and I will tip you very nicely.

[MissLilyBean]

Absolutely! 20% is the starting point. It goes up or down depending on service... but never below 15%. If we really have an issue, we get a manager. Both my fiancé and I work in the restaurant industry. We know how it is. Servers would PREFER that you go to a manager about a problem, even if it also comes with a low or nonexistent tip. The thing is, people generally stiff waitstaff for a myriad of reasons, including those unrelated to the quality of the service. Oftentimes, the server walks away never understanding what they did wrong (or if they did wrong)... and the good ones want to know so that they can improve. IMHO stiffing waitstaff and not making the issue known is a very passive aggressive way to handle things. Nine times out of ten, if you get a manager involved, you'll leave happy instead of seething.

As far as tipping/wage laws in the US, I've actually considered writing my representatives about it. The tipping system is fine. It's the required tip outs to positions like the hostess that I find unfair. In both the restaurants we work in, the tip out is predetermined and not open for dispute. In other words, the non-waitstaff get tipped no matter how poorly they work. They should be held to the same standard as servers or get a regular hourly wage. One or the other.


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