"If you can't afford to tip then you can't afford to eat out"

[Darkrulerxxx]

A friend on my facebook just posted this (she is a waitress at our local Red Robin) and i feel somewhat conflicted about this statement.

Back in the past (5 years back) i didn't have any real source of income except for the very limited hours of work that i had and with the minor bills i had, i had little money to spare. Still i'd like to go out to dinner when i could and sometimes i only had enough to pay the bill and not include a very good tip.

I feel like i can disagree with this statement because i feel like tipping shouldn't be mandatory, even for good service. I know a lot of food restaurants cut the waiters/waitresses pay in half and they have to make it up by tips but i feel like this should be a mandatory change in how they pay their employees.

What do you guys feel about this statement?

This is not the same thread as i have a different approach to tipping, i am not asking if tipping is required, i am asking in relation to that statement that if you only have enough money for dinner but not enough for tip, should you not go?

[steale]

Oh look, a new and exciting thread topic...

Gonna sum the next 7 pages of this thread up real quick... If you're in the US, tip providing the service wasn't shit. Outside the US, tipping isn't mandatory.

[s_bushido]

This thread again.

It boils down to: If you live in the US, you should be aware that it's customary to tip, and stiffing your waiter isn't going to miraculously change to the system.

[Darkrulerxxx]

This thread again.

It boils down to: If you live in the US, you should be aware that it's customary to tip, and stiffing your waiter isn't going to miraculously change to the system.

This is not the same thread as i have a different approach to tipping, i am not asking if tipping is required, i am asking in relation to that statement that if you only have enough money for dinner but not enough for tip, should you not go?

[Wynnyelle]

I can't speak for everybody, but if I didn't have enough money to tip and just had enough to pay for my meal, I wouldn't go. I'd go get fast food or something or just eat at home instead. If a waitress/waiter takes good care of me, I like to leave them a tip. I'd feel awful if I got good service and had nothing to give back to them, especially with how poor their wages are.

[Wilian]

Looking at these threads I can only say it's good to live in a country where the employer pays high enough wages for waiters to live rather than guilt tripping customers who already paid.

[Deleted]

It isn't gratuity when it's expected... Tipping is a joke. Maybe I should tip my doctor, accountant and barber as well. Ludicrous.

- - - Updated - - -

This is not the same thread as i have a different approach to tipping, i am not asking if tipping is required, i am asking in relation to that statement that if you only have enough money for dinner but not enough for tip, should you not go?

I'd still go but never tip out of spite. If everyone stopped tipping, the employers would have to re-think their business model and actually, I don't know, pay their staff a wage capable of living on.

[Darkrulerxxx]

It isn't gratuity when it's expected... Tipping is a joke. Maybe I should tip my doctor, accountant and barber as well. Ludicrous.

- - - Updated - - -



I'd still go but never tip out of spite. If everyone stopped tipping, the employers would have to re-think their business model and actually, I don't know, pay their staff a wage capable of living on.

i agree, it's pretty despicable that some of these chains cut their wages in half and force their employees to gauge tips out of people who already bought their food.

[Lovecrafts]

Oh I can afford to tip, I just choose not to. Unless I think you did an exceptional job. Don't like it? Then finish school and get a different job. It really is that simple.

[mvaliz]

A friend on my facebook just posted this (she is a waitress at our local Red Robin) and i feel somewhat conflicted about this statement.

Back in the past (5 years back) i didn't have any real source of income except for the very limited hours of work that i had and with the minor bills i had, i had little money to spare. Still i'd like to go out to dinner when i could and sometimes i only had enough to pay the bill and not include a very good tip.

I feel like i can disagree with this statement because i feel like tipping shouldn't be mandatory, even for good service. I know a lot of food restaurants cut the waiters/waitresses pay in half and they have to make it up by tips but i feel like this should be a mandatory change in how they pay their employees.

What do you guys feel about this statement?

This is not the same thread as i have a different approach to tipping, i am not asking if tipping is required, i am asking in relation to that statement that if you only have enough money for dinner but not enough for tip, should you not go?

You're in Southern California... which means the USA.

You do realize that American resturaunts deliberately pay wait staff disgustingly below minimum wage BECAUSE they're expected to literally "work for tips", right? As in, if they don't get tipped - they don't make money - PERIOD.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that tips shouldn't be mandatory too - but the American pay system for some STUPID reason legally allows this to be an OK and accepted business practice in restaurants in the USA. There's actually the most mind-blindingly stupid philosophy saying "it forces wait staff to always be on their best behavior"... because obviously nothing makes somebody want to provide the most genuine pleasant and happy of experiences like pointing a friggin' gun to their head 8 hours a day...

EDIT: In regards to your boldfaced part - Sadly, yes... and I have had that situation before.

I discovered I didn't have cash on me, so I couldn't tip the waiter I had. I actually told him this, and that I was very sorry, and that I would pay him back if I came back. about 3 weeks later, I did - and I handed him the tip. ^_^

Now... if I don't have the cash on me, I won't eat out. This is actually important because if you put the tip on a credit card, they have to report that as legal income.

[Deleted]

One day machines will handle all the work that waitresses do and this monthly tipping issue is resolved.

There's actually the most mind-blindingly stupid philosophy saying "it forces wait staff to always be on their best behavior"... because obviously nothing makes somebody want to provide the most genuine pleasant and happy of experiences like pointing a friggin' gun to their head 8 hours a day...

It's kinda funny to think about the importance of behaviour when all you need to do is take orders and carry food to the table. What would you do if you knew you weren't going to be tipped as a waitress? Would you decline taking orders from people and serve food or what? Smile less?

[Arkenaw]

I don't really understand that, minimum tip (the tip I give, lol) is like 15%, on a 50 dollar meal that's $7.50...

[xXzCoDProxXz]

Eh I see were she is coming from. I used to work as a bagger( and unloading carts*) , and boy, it pissed me off when I got no tip, especially with customers having 2-3 full carts, and you having to bag shit right(meat in the right bag,bread in paper,etc etc)...shit,5 minutes worth of work, my hands were fast and nimble at that time, and no tip? WTF.

Thankfully the old ladies liked young dudes and I even once had a tip of 50$ O_o...I miss middle/high school, best years of my life....independence, lots of free time, $ to spend and not careing about a thing in the world
Keep in mind tippers like waitresses don't get paid do they? I never got paid when I did bagging....+we had to do cart duty since the cart pusher never did it right WTF so you have to push a "train" of 8-9 carts....FUCK feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Keep in mind school was also from 8:45-3:30

[Personal]

Their is a minimum wage law in most stats, that say something like, "If the worker gets tips or gratuity regularly than they are only required to pay them X Amount" Like in arizona the Minimum wage law says

"For an employee who customarily and regularly receives tips or gratuities, an employer
may pay a wage up to $3.00 per hour less than the minimum wage. This means that an
employer must pay not less than $4.80 per hour in direct wages for a tipped employee.
If, however, an employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages do not equal
the Arizona minimum hourly wage, then the employer must make up the difference."

[Aurimas]

Someone I know posted something to the effect of:

Remember, I make 2<something> an hour. It is not enough to pay the taxes. When you come out to eat and don't tip, I'm paying out of pocket for you to enjoy a meal.

You can argue that what she's paying is the taxes on her other tips, so it's kind of a gray version of true, but then again it's also still kind of true.

[iadamson]

The issue with tipping is the manner it's received in.

The fact that it's expected, makes me feel it's not appreciated, I always tip, and never got a thank you for doing it.

[Rooflesstoofless]

Perhaps eat somewhere that tipping isn't expected (good service or otherwise)? Generally you are going to eat for cheaper anyway.

Personally, I'm as likely to give my tip directly to the kitchen/chefs. It isn't hard to bus food and take orders and a lot of waiters/waitresses don't split their tips with the kitchen staff who do the real work (and the reason most of us are there).

[Seezer]

A friend on my facebook just posted this (she is a waitress at our local Red Robin) and i feel somewhat conflicted about this statement.

Back in the past (5 years back) i didn't have any real source of income except for the very limited hours of work that i had and with the minor bills i had, i had little money to spare. Still i'd like to go out to dinner when i could and sometimes i only had enough to pay the bill and not include a very good tip.

I feel like i can disagree with this statement because i feel like tipping shouldn't be mandatory, even for good service. I know a lot of food restaurants cut the waiters/waitresses pay in half and they have to make it up by tips but i feel like this should be a mandatory change in how they pay their employees.

What do you guys feel about this statement?

This is not the same thread as i have a different approach to tipping, i am not asking if tipping is required, i am asking in relation to that statement that if you only have enough money for dinner but not enough for tip, should you not go?

Jesus christ. Stop with these controversial subjects that has been beat into the ground. This is just a platform for passive/aggressive sociopaths to get their rocks off on.

[Deleted]

Eh I see were she is coming from. I used to work as a bagger( and unloading carts*) , and boy, it pissed me off when I got no tip, especially with customers having 2-3 full carts, and you having to bag shit right(meat in the right bag,bread in paper,etc etc)...shit,5 minutes worth of work, my hands were fast and nimble at that time, and no tip? WTF.

Thankfully the old ladies liked young dudes and I even once had a tip of 50$ O_o...I miss middle/high school, best years of my life....independence, lots of free time, $ to spend and not careing about a thing in the world
Keep in mind tippers like waitresses don't get paid do they? I never got paid when I did bagging....+we had to do cart duty since the cart pusher never did it right WTF so you have to push a "train" of 8-9 carts....FUCK feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Keep in mind school was also from 8:45-3:30

Why get pissed off when someone didn't tip you? You're paid for the job you do... If you feel that pay is inadequate, be pissed at your company.

This is the fucking problem with America... you're angry at the wrong people. It isn't the customer's problem you're underpaid and it sure as shit isn't their obligation to pay you for a service they've already paid for. Be angry at your employer for putting you in that position.

[Seezer]

Oh I can afford to tip, I just choose not to. Unless I think you did an exceptional job. Don't like it? Then finish school and get a different job. It really is that simple.

Yeah, Im sure you have a great job. People with your mentality have zero social grace and rarely have good jobs.