The discussion topic of the day is: TIPPING.
There is nothing more disturbing then a cheap skate. It’s not classy.
As a poor college student, and a part-time waitress, I would like to take this opportunity and express my strong feelings about these sad individuals. Now, that may seem a bit harsh…but I can not find a single logical excuse for these people. You know who you are. 
Just imagine going on a date with someone new. The experience was great, conversation was flowing, the food was amazing…and then the bill came. Your date paid….and you notice that he/she totally skimped out on the tip! What does that say about them?! Yikes.
- If you can not afford to go out to dinner, and leave a decent tip….DON’T (That’s why they created fast food.)
- For those of you who don’t know- Servers make less then minimum wage. It’s about $4.60 an hour.
- If you use coupons or come in when food is discounted- Tip based on the original total before the discounts are added.
- If you do not agree with the restaurant’s policies- keep in mind that we do not own the place. Were not trying to make your visit miserable.
- If you do not like the food- See what the server does to help you out. If she is unwilling- THEN maybe consider a different amount for the tip.
- When a person says: “DON’T WORRY…I’m a great tipper!” at the beginning of the meal- Chances are their going to completely stiff me on a tip- Don’t ask..I have NO idea why.
- If you are bringing a baby- PLEASE clean up your mess, and if you can’t apologize to your waitress and tip accordingly.
- Nothing bothers me more than when I work so hard for a table, running back and forth, trying to appease their every wish…and they leave me less than 10%. THANKS.
- Keep in mind, that servers will remember the cheap skates, and will spread the word to other servers.
Be nice to your server. Their doing their best. If you see that they are not on their A GAME- Talk to the manager- Everyone has a bad day.
Please tip 15% or more.
With groups- 18% or more (It’s a lot of work).
I have to agree that if you do not tip than you are cheap and have zero class. I always try to tip above and beyond what I think is fair. However, I have to admit if the server was terrible than they do not deserve a great tip. Unless they were really blatantly rude, than I will still tip them. If they were descent, friendly, and tried than they always deserve at least 15-20%. I do realize that this is where these people make the majority of their money and therefore we need to come out our pockets and help them out a little bit. By the way, I know your friend Leah in your picture, haha.
Casey, I have to say, I love everything about your blog. And this post perfectly describes how I feel on a daily basis. I waitress at Pizza Hut at home in Rochester and encounter all of this and more. My favorite are the people who come in with their hair and nails all done up, wearing nice clothes, then they give me a sob story about how times are hard and blah blah blah. What I really want to say is “no kidding lady, I’m making $4.65 to wait on you!” But of course I put up my waitress front and act sympathetic of their situation. Glad you feel my pain and visa versa :]
Thanks guys for commenting on this post- I’m glad I wrote it! It truely was a perfect way to vent. People should know how much we actually make..maybe customers would at least think twice about being a cheap skate. All I have to say is watch the movie “Waiting”- I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. -Case
Gonna have to go with Joe on this one. I make decent money at my job at a flat rate, yet I know on an average day a waitress will pull in decidedly more money than I will. Nature of the beast, that’s fine.
But if I’m tipping say 10% (a crappy tip) on a $50 meal for an hours work, that’s still $2.50 above minimum wage. Assuming one table.
I’m a “double the tax and tip accordingly” kind of guy, but there’s a lot of jobs that can pay a lot worse for the same workload, even at 10%!
Yes, I completely agree with everything!!! I am a waitress too and I work so hard to please the customer just to get stiffed. OMG! i had when people come with a baby and leave a hugh mess, then they’ll leave the mess and no tip. I also hate when I get a table of 10 and 6 of them are kids and then they will leave you a $3 tip for just the adults. Waitressing is a very stressful job. (lol) I give every waitress a lot fo credit for what they have to deal with. Sometimes tho it is worth it, but I guess it the chance we have to take.