Busted For Not Tipping

[pax]

What a mess...complain while it's happening, and get your food dropped on the floor or spat into...complain when it's over, and have to pay up anyway, leave during, and have the whole party get up and have to go find someplace else...fustercluck.

I think I will be proactive next time and tell the manager up front I will pay 20% or more if the service is good but otherwise, zippo, and let them decide whether or not to take my reservation.

That said, the only place I ever go with my family en masse is Dad's favorite Italian place and we've never, ever, been treated less than fabulously. I wish the food was as good as the service. The guy remembers my kids names and I only get there once or twice a year....

I've waited tables. It can really stink. I never, ever, leave a wait person in a lurch unless the service is in-my-face terrible and we can't get up and go someplace else. And I tell the manager on my way out, not the wait person. Let the manager deal with them, that's their job.

I've also lived in Europe, where tipping is optional. The service is usually not what I am used to. As for Europeans coming here and not tipping "because we don't have to" or "it's not enforced"..well. When in Rome, do as the Romans, people. We have livings to make and it's not our fault you are not with the program and cheap to boot.

Edited November 23, 2009 by pax (log)

[jsmith]

I'm curious what the restaurants response is to the 22% gratutity they charged when the menu stated 18%.

[Jenni]

In the UK I'm pretty sure that minumum wage is minimum wage - so I don't worry about making waitstaff forfeit their pay. Anyway, certainly two places that I have waitressed at have put the tips in a jar and split them amongst ALL the staff, waitstaff and kitchen staff alike.

Bottom line is, if service is bad I will not leave a tip, and I will make it clear (though not rudely) to the staff that things were not good.

[emilyr]

This was on CNN today. It seems the woman in question was a bad tipper in past situations, so they added an unannounced 18% tip on her 3-person lunch. She complained but paid it, and when she came back again, they said she couldn't eat unless she agreed to the 18% in advance. She's now circulating a boycott list to fight for fair treatment.

I still don't know what I think on tipping as a requirement. I am a good tipper voluntarily, and I know many wait-staff survive on the tips. I think waitress minimum in Missouri is only about $2.50-3.00 per hour, so I'm pretty generous as long as the service is good. And I will tip poorly if you're a sucky waitron. If I do a crappy job at work, I'm going to lose money/get fired/mess things up for my company.

This is where I'm conflicted on the above story. Some people are just bad tippers. It sucks for the restaurant staff, but since tipping is, in America, not REQUIRED by law (just general custom), I think the woman has every right to boycott the restaurant banning her. BUT! I also think the restaurant has every right to ban her, as businesses have the right to refuse service to whomever they wish.

I really think having a separate minimum wage for those who receive tips is the biggest problem in this whole situation.

[fairfranco]

I remember once mistakenly tipping the UK 10% in a New York chinese restaurant once.

I was amazed at the response as the waiter and manager came over to tell me I hadn't fully paid the bill. I was confused as I clearly had paid the bill and added money onto it for them.

they explained to me that in America I pay 20% tip.

While I now understand they were disgruntled that I had undertipped them I was amazed at their attitude but then I think the tipping culture is a bit stronger in the US compared to UK. If I chose not to tip, which I've never done though some friends are tight tippers I would leave my money walk out and no one would come chasing me down the street!

I don't know how badly US waiting staff are paid compared to US ones though.

[Lupinus]

they explained to me that in America I pay 20% tip

And I would have explained to him where he could stick his 20%.

[boagman]

they explained to me that in America I pay 20% tip

And I would have explained to him where he could stick his 20%.

As would I. They would have heard, in no uncertain terms, what I think about them telling *me* how *I* should tip. Did I have any input as to how much they charged for items on the menu? Did I have any real control over the service level I was given? You can believe that my CC bill the following month would have been *very* well scrutinized, and if the charge was *anything* more than what I'd authorized (seen it done), Mastercard would have been all *over* their butts. I'd have demanded *all* the money back.