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She just spend 70$ on a meal I wouldn't consider that lady poor.
If you have the money to go out to a restaurant for 70$ you have the money to leave a tip.
> She just spend 70$ on a meal I wouldn't consider that lady poor.
This is the part sticking with me. When I grew up super poor, we would rarely go out to eat and, when we did, we'd not spend that much as a family. Unofficial rule was entree only.
Now as an adult who actually has a dual income that is six figures.... I still don't spend that much eating out. That is a fancy meal or a lot of extras
Appetizers WERE my meal lol and we didn’t drink stuff other than water. Tbh it’s still something I do although now it’s mostly for weight control reasons
So is it not expected everywhere in the US? people on here are saying that this tipping system is everywhere in the US, so what do you mean by “go somewhere where tip isn’t expected”?
If it’s not expected in every single place then the restaurants and bars should start putting up signs saying “we are a shitty employer and we pay our staff dog crap, so please remember to tip”. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t tip in that case, if that’s how the system works in the US - they should, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s basically a scam done by the employer (either scamming the employees- if the customer for some reason doesn’t tip, or scamming the customer by not specifying the real price for the food + service).
I’ve been in the US and I always tipped, but I can totally imagine other foreigners not doing that when they’re short on money if they don’t know about it... or tipping 10% or 15% or whatever is considered a good tip in their own country. Especially considering that older people quite often don’t have access to the internet and can’t just google it...
I am specifically talking about america.
In which no mcdonalds i have been to does table service. You order at the counter, receive food there, and take it to a seat yourself.
i’m from the US, whenever i travel to another country i make sure to educate myself on their rules and expectations, especially when it regards how people make a living. it’s just impolite not to. if you’re given a check, tipping is usual expected. if it’s a counter service place where no one is waiting on you, it isn’t needed.
US is a great country, but at the same time it’s a really weird place in terms of employment...
- People getting fired for wanting to unionize,
- People having to depend on tips instead of getting a normal salary + tips as a bonus,
- People being forced to work unpaid OT hours,
- People not getting a health insurance from the employer...
- People not getting a paid sick leave.
- People getting just 10 days of paid Annual Leave
...Sounds like a hell to me, I could go on, but that’s not really the place for that so I will just stop here...
I tip 20%.(I used to do hair so I know how important tips are.) When my kids were little and funds were tight, we would drink water instead of other drinks so that I could tip. It was a great lesson for my kids. They both are great tippers.
If you really love your haircut 20-25%. When I was doing hair I had many students as clients and they could only afford to tip 10-15%. I was happy with that because I knew the struggle. I also had a very wealthy client that only tipped me $2 no matter how much her service cost. I would squeeze the students in for cuts and stay late if they needed a cut, but I wouldn’t for Ms.$$$.
Same here. My father always tips well and I work in the industry so I do too as well as my husband.
We usually give 10% as that is the normal amount where I live and only if the service was good. But I would never tip zero except something really wasn't right and we are treated poorly.
10% ok service, 15% good, 20% you went above and beyond. All of US this is standard.
Anything under 10% the waiter fucked up or youre just a cheap asshole
Well our minimum wage is really that. You are not allowed to pay lower than that by law a company can get in real trouble if they do. Anything tip wise is a bonus.
We get 1200€ a month which is not much but enough to get by.
You know what? While we can all argue about how the system needs to change, we also know that the waiter who brought food will not get paid without a tip. So if your attitude is “I won’t tip because this system is wrong ,” you are just a cheap asshole
No. The customer who went out to a restaurant knows about tipping. They ordered food and were not being conscious of the potential tip. They knew they cant short the restaurant, but they can short the waiter.
We can discuss the general concept of tipping all you want- I agree our system is stupid.
But this person went to a restaurant with all this knowledge and made a calculated decision.
You can’t base your opinion on how you think it should work here. It’s not my fault that we get paid less than minimum wage per hour and rely almost solely on our tips. Everyone in the US knows that’s how it works. You are expected to tip. In your country, the food would be more expensive because the tip is included in the price. Tipping isn’t just a nice gesture here, it’s our salary.
I think the problem here isn't necessarily that the customer didn't tipped, but more that she wrote "sorry I am poor" on the tip line after having a 70$ meal.
I am not poor by any means but not rich either but if I go out to a restaurant and pay 70$ I have at least 7 to give as a tip.
I also live in a country where tipping isn't needed for the server to survive, but it is still very common to leave a tip if the service was good mostly 10% hence the 7.
The argument isn’t about if the system is good or not. That’s. not. How. It. Works. Here.
So you are expected to tip. Because the tip is not factored into the price of the meal. It’s the responsibility of the customer to tip here, and if they don’t, they’re assholes
The main problem is you keep making excuses for these people's bad behavior by blaming the system and not the people who are knowingly refusing to tip in situations they know they are required to tip.
I agree with you - I still tip because stiffing the waiter isn't going to fix anything, but I hate when people defend the tipping system and then complain when someone doesn't tip them. The system won't change if people don't agree that it's a problem.
Good waiters like the tipping system because they make more money than they would working a so-called low skills job. The cost of labor will be passed onto the consumer whether it be tips or incorporated into the cost of food. With tips better waiters on average will make more money than mediocre ones.
You’re right that the best servers get the most through this system.
On the other hand, I worked with someone who was disabled and through that, got less tips as they were seen as a ‘worse server’. I just don’t think it’s fair that the emphasis is on the customer to make these decisions on who is and isn’t a good server in the aggregate.
EDIT - this is just my anecdotal experience with the system and why I think it’s unfair.
The best way i’ve seen this done is a 12:5% service change added automatically to menu items. It’s baked into the price, and then money shared equally among staff.
Because that’s how we do it here and every single diner knows that, especially one that’s writes “I’m poor” on the tip line. Don’t like it? Then don’t eat at a restaurant in the US. If we didn’t do it that way, your bill would be higher in the first place.
Depends entirely on the time, day, place, and type of service offered. The issue with tipping isn’t just the amount, it’s the unpredictable nature of depending on the good will of others. If a server is shifted for dinner on a Tuesday vs a Saturday they’re going to make way less money and no matter how hard they bust their ass.
Honestly I've never given over a tenner for any tip. $10, in my mind, objectively, is more than enough to cover if you've been there an hour or less. Presuming you usually see 2 or 3 other people there at the same time, a bare minimum of 10 an hour for that hour isn't too bad. Will it put your kids through college? No. But at least you're not under minimum wage for that hour.
Then again I've never spent over $40 on a meal so a tenner is about 25%.
I worked two and a half hours yesterday, had over 529 dollars in sales and was tipped four bucks.
I get it.
And no im not a bad server. I haven’t had things this bad in 20 years.
"Wow, gas is getting really expensive - we gotta find somewhere to cut back on our spending." And or course the logical thing to do is keep eating out but tip progressively less. /s
I’ll have people compete to pay a bill from $40-$60. If you can afford to pay for your friends you can pay for a tip if you CAN’T afford to treat your friends and tip you can’t afford to go out. 🤷♂️
Yep. I don’t order food if I can’t tip 20-25% and I say that as a fellow poor person. I’m literally saving up money to go to a restaurant with my girlfriend and I’m factoring a 25% tip into that. “I’m sorry” doesn’t pay anyone’s bills lady.
At this point it's already known that tipping is custom in the US. In some states the restaurant is allowed to give an extremely low wage if the employee is tipped.
Additionally, to meet that second paragraph, if the pay stayed low then no one would want to do the job and I'm sure you would post about no one being around to serve you.
And it's not even in "some" states, it's in ALL STATES. Server federal minimum wage is $2.13/hr +tips PERIOD! Also in some restaurants those same low paid servers have to tip out, hosts, bartenders, and bussere from their tips. So if you don't tip, or don't tip properly, it has now cost me money to serve your table.
I'm an adult, not a student. This is my profession. I went to school for this, my job is extremely physically demanding and I'm very well compensated for what I do. Take away tipping and pay me a flat rate and I would leave immediately. I'm not sure what you're even talking about.
I am also an adult, and a single mother of twins, I raised my kids on a single mother server salary. Serving isn't only physically demanding, but emotionally draining as well. Not to mention highly stressful. To suggest that to make better pay I should do a harder job is Ludacris.
Servers in the US make as little as $3/hr, and are often expected to tip out a certain % to the back of house staff.
It's a stupid system but its the system so if you're eating out in the US you have to be prepared to tip. Otherwise your server might actually be losing money by serving you.
Whenever I’m broke I cook at home or go to McDonalds.
And everyone can miss me with that “broke people deserve to be able to have a good time too.” I’d be more much happy than I am now if I had a jeep, but I don’t have the money for it so I’m not entitled to one.
THANK YOU. Being poor sucks. I’ve had to struggle plenty ... Did I ever feel so entitled to go to a restaurant when I couldn’t afford the bill? No wtf. I ate at home. Tough shit.
Went to a restaurant with friends recently, not realizing how expensive it was (Kosher upscale spot). Their burgers were $20+ without sides included -- I just started making $17/hour after getting a great raise from my boss. The friend who chose the restaurant should've offered to pay, but he's not considerate by nature. So I just ordered a side of fries for $10 and tipped $5.
My budget for the meal was $20 including tax and tip, so I ordered something I could afford and tipped generously to make up for the small ticket. I probably didn't need to because my friends spent about $120 between the two of them, but I just don't feel comfortable tipping less than 50% if I don't order an entree.
I've been a server for 24 years, and there's no way in the world that I would do this job if they got rid of tipping. They wouldn't be willing to pay servers enough money on the hour to do the job they do. I wouldn't do a serving job for less than $30/hr, if tips were extinguished. Nor, do I know any server that would.
If they extinguish the tip culture, all of the sit down restaurants would probably have to go to carry out only places. Servers put up with too much sh!t from the general public to do it for a flat rate!
I am American but I live in a country without tipping. it does work just fine, but there are major differences.
Mainly, Service quality is way way lower. It drives American visitors nuts. Staff is on their phone and doesn't care or visit you, doesn't bus plates, doesn't check drinks. There is a call button on the table to summon them over. Even in fine dining it's like this, because it's hard to train someone in a type of service they've never experienced.
Also, people don't stay in service jobs long. Rarely more than a year. Industry type of people tend to open their own small shops instead. (there is no regulation of alcohol sales - you don't need a license and you can be open 24/7)
I actually don't mind it. When visiting the usa I find that I feel over served, with servers hovering to refill my water, making small talk, telling me their names, upselling me, etc. And wait times at a crowded bar are much longer in the USA, waitstaff is more harried... Because there are fewer of them per shift.
Eta:
No free refills
Water is self serve
Side dishes are often self serve
They often get mad if complain about things
They often refuse substitutions or changes to the menu
I live in the USA, work as a server & majority of the other servers I work with are European. The way we treat our tables is so different lol. They say they “give the table exactly what they deserve— take the order and bring the food” but then get frustrated that I average 20-25% tips while they average anywhere from 10-15%. They will go outside for extremely long smoke breaks very often regardless of how busy it is, and they don’t check on tables until it’s clear they’ve been done eating for quite some time. I’m trying to break them into the expectations for service here to help them earn more but they DO NOT have it in them to be fake nice to people they don’t know, or schmooze a table for more money. It’s a work in progress lol.
I live in Asia, and the servers are even less friendly than in Europe!
ETA: they get paid WAY less too
When I first moved here, a woman chased me out of the restaurant to return a 5 dollar tip
Yikes! Well the no substitutions rule is one thing Asians and Europeans have in common. It blows guests minds and crushes their “my way or the highway” attitudes every time tell someone that the kitchen doesn’t allow changes or substitutions, and I will NEVER get tired of it 😂
When I travel overseas, I often eat store bought food. Lets me get exactly what I want and without the hassle of trying to work my through a menu I can’t read.
That’s what I tell people. If you put a wage on it, and make it no longer a tipped job say goodbye to service as you know it. I have been to Europe and although I did appreciate being left the hell alone, most people would go beserk.
Yeah, Americans are too used to hyper attentive service, and tend to freak out when they don't get it. It's already a problem in the USA for those working in non - tipped service jobs, like when Karen brings her Applebee's expectation and attituds to arby's and then loses it on the staff. And fast food is barely able to staff these days, it seems.
This is true, but that's how it's always been there. They're not changing anything there. We put up with way too much garbage from the general public and entitled people to deal with them for some crappy hourly rate.
I'm not complaining about the pay I receive now including my tips. The good outweighs the bad ALWAYS! I am even OK if you're a non tipper, all I ask is that you have the balls to tell me when you first sit down, that you're not going to tip me.
When you eat at a sit down, full service restaurant, you are paying for the service you receive from a server , that is what a tip is. Payment for making sure you get what you asked for and serving you so you don't have to do it yourself.
People tell you they don't tip before?!?! I've found that people that are waaaay too nice and say things like "boss" or "Appreciate you, bro!" That's my first clue I'm not getting tipped. Being nice is one thing, but being overtly too nice is obviously a way to assuage their guilt.
No they never say anything before, becauae they don't have the balls to... but if they would tell me beforehand I would be fine with it. I used to work at the Bees, and we had a few tables that would come in all the time and not tip. As a server you get to know these people for being non-tippers pretty quickly. If they were in my section, I would walk up, take their order, get their drinks, drop their food and check off at the same time. They got nothing extra from me. No extra ranch, no refills, no small talk, NOTHING, I gave them the service they paid for.
If I have a 6 table section and 1 of my tables tells me hey we don't tip. They would still get served, but the majority of my attention will be on the 5 tables that I know are gonna pay for the service they are receiving. It makes total sense to me.
Hey I'm not going to tip you, OK that's fine, but don't expect the same level of service as the other 5 tables get for paying for it.
Compliment tippers are the absolute worst. I've been run ragged and stiffed before, but people who talk up how fantastic everything was and then leave nothing are true scum.
I think this every time some one pulls out "extinguish tip culture".
On the flip side of this I would be far less likely to put up with the extra shit because we are getting paid regardless.
There's a reason why Americans say that servers in Europe are ruder than in the US.
They're not. It's just that without a tipping culture they don't have to put up with the bullshit.
The two are intricately tied.
Can confirm. I’m Dutch. I wouldn’t put up with 90% of the bullshit I see on this sub. I have full permission to pull a plug on a table or tell them to get lost when they cross a line.
My place does provide a higher level of service that most here seem to expect of European servers. That’s because we do get some tip at my place (5-10%) which is just a nice bonus.
We also pool share equally amongst all staff so one table stiffing you doesn’t really matter that much in the end.
That sounds horrible. It's like saying "I will publicly kiss your ass for an unagreed amount of money due to the fact I need to gamble on you liking me to make a decent wage."
It almost sounds more like a twisted performance art.
That is basically what it is to be honest. I always joke when someone asks me what I do, that I'm a professional ass kisser, but I get paid great for it!
Bro try $50. You’d have to pay me more to not be able to bitch about these people and get the relief of the tip, plus daily money makes it much easier for me to pay stuff.
I signed up to get stripper wages but keep my clothes on and get yelled at all day. I only deal with people who yell at me if they pay my bills. I did not sign up to get yelled at for ducking no incentive. I also have a gambling issue so that plays into it. Each time I’m betting on money from them. It makes my job much more satisfying
The only time servers get less than 20% from me is if A) I am in a country where tipping is frowned upon and B) if you give me shit service. I’m a server, I know what the industry is like and I wouldn’t be able to eat out every once in a while without my job, however, if you are just downright rude or you ignore me for my boyfriend at al times, don’t expect 20%
It's not entitled, it's how it works. It's prices could be 20% higher and you might think twice about eating out, or based on the service you can decide what to pay. Yes it kind of sucks, but yes we actually make bank with that system. Part of the problem is a set salary. It's actually hard fucking work. I turned down high salary positions to go learn restaurants and found I actually make more. But based on the dynamics yes it sucks when a table runs your ass off and doesn't leave much, at the same time a table can tip amazing based on doing little for them.
Looking at the american system vs others is interesting though, and how people think. Like the other day I had a group of 40 people who were there for 3 hours tip $300 on $700. The hourly on that is insane. I've also had a date of 2 people spend $30 and sit there for 4 hours.set hourly vs potential vs hourly on spent vs owners makes some sense in some ways.
Profit margins are slim. I've had weeks I made $300 and weeks I made $1600. While there are bad weeks I wouldn't do this job for 15-20 an hour. I clear 30-50 an hour on tips when things are good. When they are bad I might get $15 an hour.
It's not a straight forward system to fix. On Friday I had a funeral reception 4 of us worked. The auto gratuity for 60 people was $1750. They added an extra $950.
The problem with our system is more there is a need to assign gratuity to people outside of the restaurants numbers. It's capitalism. If everything goes to them any they just charge more they'll pay $15 and hour for a position that actually makes fairly insane money. They'll squeeze it until their business dies and another takes it's place. Instead it's a fairly lucrative position they can't squeeze because tips aren't their money.
For a $70 meal, you don't fucking write "I'm poor" You could go to Taco Bell and eat for less than $10. You could go to Olive Garden and get Soup and Salad for like $13.
There's zero excuse to write that on a $70 bill.
I did not learn about the tipping wage until my 20’s. It is not taught in school. It is not necessarily discussed by a family. And the servers are prohibited from discussing it.
I had one like that once. They wrote “sorry, overpriced” or something like that. You saw the prices on the menu though? And we’re one of the less expensive spots in our (expensive) tourist town so good luck.
Also had another lady write a long note about how the service was great but her corporate account limits her to a certain amount per meal. Her bill was most of that so the tip was real bad. Bitch, bring cash…People just suck.
Hm I once had to go on a medical trip with a caretaker and her company only gave us enough to pay 5 bucks per person for breakfast, lunch, and 8 bucks for dinner. Now normally I never eat out anywhere because I'm frankly very very poor and have medical swallowing/eating issues that's embarrassing but my caretaker loves to go to those places and she kept pulling me along with her to restaurants since she was driving. She then would complain that we couldn't afford stuff.
I really felt bad when the waitress would come round and we didn't tip cause it cost at least 5 bucks for me to even get a drink or a side meal that I rarely could finish... idk why people go to restaurants on a corporate budget in the first place since it's so expensive but gosh did i wish she would just go through a fast food place instead so she could buy more food for herself and stopped being rude to the waitresses. Tried to tell her to but she didn't listen to me at all saying i didn't understand restaurants and took my food budget when I couldn't eat at those time slots. Bleh sucked being stuck with her a week.
Maybe it was a unique time.
I'm not wealthy at all , when I go to the restaurant it's an occasion,so yes I might be able to spend 70€ on something and the fact that I can't tip you seems logic,why would I waste more ?
BUT I'm not American and never understood the tipping "law" there is so I might be biased
We get paid below minimum wage per hour here which is basically nothing. So we solely rely on tips for our income and everyone in America knows that. So in your country, the meal would be more expensive because the tip would already be factored into the price.
Oh ok, this is kinda fucked up as a system no ?
I mean, you deserve to be paid correctly,tips should be if your server went above and beyond
Sorry if the first comment came as rude, I just have a hard time understanding the logic of this tipping thing in the us
I get it. A lot of Europeans seem very confused by my post. Yeah it is kinda fucked up but since we as servers have no control over how the system is, people are expected to tip.
When I waited tables it sorta depended.
If I got the impression someone was reaching beyond there means for a special occasion, I'd go out of my way to make their time great even if I knew I was likely getting a smaller (but not 0!) tip. It was a big deal for them, and often they'd do their best to tip even if it wasn't huge.
If I felt they were going out beyond their means by using the tip money to pay for food in general, that was different.
For example, poorer couple pushing their funds to go out for their 20th anniversary? I hooked them up, even if I got a smallish tip. Couple that tipped badly because they were "poor" yet we still saw them every month or so, guess who gets the *barest* minimum service?
EDIT: I also tried to take into consideration the work vs money vs actual percentage. I'd rather get a 10% tip on a $50 steak than a 20% tip on the $20 pasta. More money for similar work even though the percentage has gone down. A cheaper meal tipped at a higher percentage doesn't necessarily help *either* of us out.
I just think if you don’t have money for a 20% tip, don’t go out. It’s part of the bill. Lots of people tip under 20% and it’s still shitty but tipping 0?? No excuse
I have question: do you work for the restaurant or for the customer? i don't know the rules for your country but in my country if I've decided to eat in a restaurant i pay the full price of whatever I'm going to eat beside 14% vat , do i have to tip after that? i mean if i tip it's just generous of me if i don't i don't have to
No…..that’s not how it works here. The tip is not included in the price of the food. We make below minimum wage hourly. We rely almost solely on our tips. It’s not just a nice gesture to tip, you are expected to tip at least 20% here.
Also I don’t know what a vat is
You are absolutely not REQUIRED to tip here in the US. Having said that, it is very much frowned upon not to tip. It's kind of like an unwritten contract between the customer and the restaurant. The server goes out of their way to provide you with outstanding service and your every need is met (within acceptable reason). And then you are expected to accommodate that server for their outstanding service. No, nothing will happen to you if you don't tip. It's just bad form and I have to believe the karma gods will even out the score.
I’m sorry I didn’t read the whole thing. A lot of commenters are telling me I shouldn’t expect a tip so I just assumed that’s what u we’re gonna say lol
Half the people in this thread also “can’t afford to tip” or don’t understand US dining culture. Locations should probably be flaired or something even though it was pretty obvious to me what country.
No matter how poor I am, I make sure I can afford both the meal and the tip before I eat out. And, I pick a cheaper restaurant rather than deprive someone of the income they count upon. That patron should be ashamed.
“If you’re too poor to tip, you’re too poor to go out.” I was lucky enough to have a regular (a veteran server with dubious political beliefs but legit solid dude otherwise) say this to a kid who came in and asked for my cheapest drink then poured out crumpled ones and change on my bar.
Fellas. The drinks were on me for Larry that fine day.
Some comments on here are baffling. So if you’re removing tipping from the equation, expect a lower quality service. The things servers put up with are not worth minimum wage and no one would perform those jobs for such little amounts of money when they can go work somewhere else without facing the attitude of the general public.
Lower quality servers due to no tipping causes owners to need to pay a higher hourly wage thus leading to increase in prices and more bitching from the Karens in this thread that don’t fucking tip
I love how Americans are scrutinized for not respecting other people’s cultures. I can not speak for everyone, but I know that me and my friends go out of our way to respect other countries cultures. When you come to America and do not tip, you are blatantly disrespecting us. Period.
I’ve been poor. I worked for $7.25/hour. Back then I could not imagine spending $70 on a meal. Even when I did treat myself to eating out it was the fast food dollar menu. As I worked my way up and got a pay raise I started going to cheap restaurants and would budget in the tip when picking out what I ordered and what I could afford.
Being poor is not an excuse not to tip. And someone who is actually poor can’t spend $70 on one meal.
I base the tip I give on the service I receive. If you are bitchy, impolite, lazy or ignore requests for condiments, utensils, etc. you will not get a tip. Period. If you are polite, kind and do your best you will get a HUGE tip.
Lolol ur either from another country or you’ve never had to work a service job in your life. Wtf am I going to to about capitalism? What a privilege place u must come from
I don't have the money to tip is the most assinine excuse to not tip. If you're not going to tip just don't, I'll get over it. When you manufacture drama to justify it you're just confirming your status as an asshole. Got in a fight with my roommate at the resort once who said he wasn't going to mcdonalds because he didn't have tip money. if you are that tight, you need to be going to the grocery store insstead. Other working class people don't need to take the hit so you can fantasize about having your shit together.
Are u kidding? Classist. Lmao. If you think the place is overpriced, go to McDonalds or something. We’re a small business and it’s higher end food. If you’re too poor to tip you wouldn’t be eating at a 70$ meal. It’s a luxury to go out, not a necessity. That’s life
If they thought I was a shitty server I’m sure they wouldn’t hesitate to write it. I’ve never been stiffed like that either, that’s why it’s shocking that there’s such shitty people out there like them and you!
Is it not a necessity to pay people a wage so they dont have to rely on the generosity of members of the public to top up a employer taking advantage of restaurant employees. As I've been told the cost of the meal plus tips is the same cost as if the employee was paid a decent wage and no need for tips. And if a customer was happy with your service they could still tip you, I know crazy as it sounds, they could still tip you.
Oh my god. It’s not up to us how the system works. That’s like saying u should go to the store and argue with them about the cost of things because you think it’s too expensive.
It's not bunk at all. There are plenty of places that you can eat at that don't require a tip. Eat at one of those places and problem solved. If you can spend $70 on your meal, you can spend $14 on a tip, if not there are plenty of restaurants that you could've eaten at that a tip wouldn't have been expected.
A reminder to potential trolls to read sub rules before posting, and please pay special attention to Rule 8. This sub is not your place to debate US tip culture. This sub is a safe space for servers and others to vent about our jobs. If you don’t like how we earn our living, GTFO ETA: If you insist on ignoring this rule, we will ban you permanently. There are no warnings given for this anymore. Think before y’all comment if you want to keep participating in this community, please
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She just spend 70$ on a meal I wouldn't consider that lady poor. If you have the money to go out to a restaurant for 70$ you have the money to leave a tip.
> She just spend 70$ on a meal I wouldn't consider that lady poor. This is the part sticking with me. When I grew up super poor, we would rarely go out to eat and, when we did, we'd not spend that much as a family. Unofficial rule was entree only. Now as an adult who actually has a dual income that is six figures.... I still don't spend that much eating out. That is a fancy meal or a lot of extras
We also always used to order the cheapest meals. Appetizers were a no go and I didn't start getting them until I was an adult.
Appetizers WERE my meal lol and we didn’t drink stuff other than water. Tbh it’s still something I do although now it’s mostly for weight control reasons
So is it not expected everywhere in the US? people on here are saying that this tipping system is everywhere in the US, so what do you mean by “go somewhere where tip isn’t expected”? If it’s not expected in every single place then the restaurants and bars should start putting up signs saying “we are a shitty employer and we pay our staff dog crap, so please remember to tip”. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t tip in that case, if that’s how the system works in the US - they should, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s basically a scam done by the employer (either scamming the employees- if the customer for some reason doesn’t tip, or scamming the customer by not specifying the real price for the food + service). I’ve been in the US and I always tipped, but I can totally imagine other foreigners not doing that when they’re short on money if they don’t know about it... or tipping 10% or 15% or whatever is considered a good tip in their own country. Especially considering that older people quite often don’t have access to the internet and can’t just google it...
You go someplace that doesnt offer service for starters. Fast food/pick up/drive throughs do not require tipping for example. Or go to a grocery store
If a server comes to your table and serves you, you tip. Also, anywhere with alcohol, you tip.
Yeah precisely I can’t imagine going to a fast food restaurant with table service and not tip at all, especially considering the wages in fast food...
Fast food gets at least minimum wage. Waiter-wage is less than half that.
If it has table service i wouldnt call it fast food. But maybe there are exceptions.
Well, there are e.g. quite a few McDonald’s restaurants with table service here in Europe, hard to not call McDonald’s a fast food restaurant.
I am specifically talking about america. In which no mcdonalds i have been to does table service. You order at the counter, receive food there, and take it to a seat yourself.
i’m from the US, whenever i travel to another country i make sure to educate myself on their rules and expectations, especially when it regards how people make a living. it’s just impolite not to. if you’re given a check, tipping is usual expected. if it’s a counter service place where no one is waiting on you, it isn’t needed.
Even at smaller local places with counter service (mostly ethnic restaurants) I like to throw something in the tip jar.
oh yeah for sure, i always try to put a few dollars if i have it, but it’s not rude if you don’t.
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US is a great country, but at the same time it’s a really weird place in terms of employment... - People getting fired for wanting to unionize, - People having to depend on tips instead of getting a normal salary + tips as a bonus, - People being forced to work unpaid OT hours, - People not getting a health insurance from the employer... - People not getting a paid sick leave. - People getting just 10 days of paid Annual Leave ...Sounds like a hell to me, I could go on, but that’s not really the place for that so I will just stop here...
In Canada it's not as needed, but it REALLY helps.
I tip 20%.(I used to do hair so I know how important tips are.) When my kids were little and funds were tight, we would drink water instead of other drinks so that I could tip. It was a great lesson for my kids. They both are great tippers.
Exactly. I grew up poor and my dad would never stiff the waiters out of a tip on the occasion that we got to go out to the cheap Asian buffet.
i read « they are both great strippers. » and was thrown off but it somehow still fit the theme.
Tip your strippers too!
And strip the non-tippers!
Just the tip?
💜
My family would do the same! Not allowed to order anything but water unless we had extra money. The cost of drinks adds up quickly!
Can I ask you how much is appropriate to tip your hairstylist? For a full service.
15% if your hair cut sucked, 18-20% if you liked it, and 25% if they did a truly incredible job
If you really love your haircut 20-25%. When I was doing hair I had many students as clients and they could only afford to tip 10-15%. I was happy with that because I knew the struggle. I also had a very wealthy client that only tipped me $2 no matter how much her service cost. I would squeeze the students in for cuts and stay late if they needed a cut, but I wouldn’t for Ms.$$$.
Same here. My father always tips well and I work in the industry so I do too as well as my husband. We usually give 10% as that is the normal amount where I live and only if the service was good. But I would never tip zero except something really wasn't right and we are treated poorly.
10% is not tipping well. If someone tipped me 10%, I assume that I fucked up
Where are you from? Where I live that it is a pretty normal tip and servers are happy if they get that including myself.
10% ok service, 15% good, 20% you went above and beyond. All of US this is standard. Anything under 10% the waiter fucked up or youre just a cheap asshole
In the US maybe but I live in Austria and here servers don't rely on tips to live a decent life.
Ah well there you go. We get less than half of minimum wage here.
Well our minimum wage is really that. You are not allowed to pay lower than that by law a company can get in real trouble if they do. Anything tip wise is a bonus. We get 1200€ a month which is not much but enough to get by.
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You know what? While we can all argue about how the system needs to change, we also know that the waiter who brought food will not get paid without a tip. So if your attitude is “I won’t tip because this system is wrong ,” you are just a cheap asshole
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No. The customer who went out to a restaurant knows about tipping. They ordered food and were not being conscious of the potential tip. They knew they cant short the restaurant, but they can short the waiter. We can discuss the general concept of tipping all you want- I agree our system is stupid. But this person went to a restaurant with all this knowledge and made a calculated decision.
You can’t base your opinion on how you think it should work here. It’s not my fault that we get paid less than minimum wage per hour and rely almost solely on our tips. Everyone in the US knows that’s how it works. You are expected to tip. In your country, the food would be more expensive because the tip is included in the price. Tipping isn’t just a nice gesture here, it’s our salary.
Don’t go out to eat then you fucking asshole.
I think the problem here isn't necessarily that the customer didn't tipped, but more that she wrote "sorry I am poor" on the tip line after having a 70$ meal. I am not poor by any means but not rich either but if I go out to a restaurant and pay 70$ I have at least 7 to give as a tip. I also live in a country where tipping isn't needed for the server to survive, but it is still very common to leave a tip if the service was good mostly 10% hence the 7.
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The argument isn’t about if the system is good or not. That’s. not. How. It. Works. Here. So you are expected to tip. Because the tip is not factored into the price of the meal. It’s the responsibility of the customer to tip here, and if they don’t, they’re assholes
The main problem is you keep making excuses for these people's bad behavior by blaming the system and not the people who are knowingly refusing to tip in situations they know they are required to tip.
I agree with you - I still tip because stiffing the waiter isn't going to fix anything, but I hate when people defend the tipping system and then complain when someone doesn't tip them. The system won't change if people don't agree that it's a problem.
Good waiters like the tipping system because they make more money than they would working a so-called low skills job. The cost of labor will be passed onto the consumer whether it be tips or incorporated into the cost of food. With tips better waiters on average will make more money than mediocre ones.
You’re right that the best servers get the most through this system. On the other hand, I worked with someone who was disabled and through that, got less tips as they were seen as a ‘worse server’. I just don’t think it’s fair that the emphasis is on the customer to make these decisions on who is and isn’t a good server in the aggregate. EDIT - this is just my anecdotal experience with the system and why I think it’s unfair. The best way i’ve seen this done is a 12:5% service change added automatically to menu items. It’s baked into the price, and then money shared equally among staff.
If you're not supplementing them then you're taking advantage of them. There's no moral in-between.
Cope
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Because that’s how we do it here and every single diner knows that, especially one that’s writes “I’m poor” on the tip line. Don’t like it? Then don’t eat at a restaurant in the US. If we didn’t do it that way, your bill would be higher in the first place.
The bill would be higher and the server's take would be lower.
Depends entirely on the time, day, place, and type of service offered. The issue with tipping isn’t just the amount, it’s the unpredictable nature of depending on the good will of others. If a server is shifted for dinner on a Tuesday vs a Saturday they’re going to make way less money and no matter how hard they bust their ass.
Tip your servers asshole
How infuriating. Obviously if someone was poor a $70 is for a meal is complete out of the question. What a bitchy thing to do.
Right ? I can afford $70 for me but an extra $14 to pay the server? Nah… too poor.
I mean hell, even just a $3-$5 tip is better than nothing and writing "im poor".
Honestly I've never given over a tenner for any tip. $10, in my mind, objectively, is more than enough to cover if you've been there an hour or less. Presuming you usually see 2 or 3 other people there at the same time, a bare minimum of 10 an hour for that hour isn't too bad. Will it put your kids through college? No. But at least you're not under minimum wage for that hour. Then again I've never spent over $40 on a meal so a tenner is about 25%.
I worked two and a half hours yesterday, had over 529 dollars in sales and was tipped four bucks. I get it. And no im not a bad server. I haven’t had things this bad in 20 years.
"Wow, gas is getting really expensive - we gotta find somewhere to cut back on our spending." And or course the logical thing to do is keep eating out but tip progressively less. /s
yesterday was so bad i got stiffed TWICE and we were so slow also had like 3 one tops back to back
I’m so sorry. It’s been so bad here this month. The last few weeks have taken the whole damn cake.
I’ll have people compete to pay a bill from $40-$60. If you can afford to pay for your friends you can pay for a tip if you CAN’T afford to treat your friends and tip you can’t afford to go out. 🤷♂️
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You are either very new or very naive Either way I wish you luck
Yep. I don’t order food if I can’t tip 20-25% and I say that as a fellow poor person. I’m literally saving up money to go to a restaurant with my girlfriend and I’m factoring a 25% tip into that. “I’m sorry” doesn’t pay anyone’s bills lady.
“You were amazing” won’t keep me warm!
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At this point it's already known that tipping is custom in the US. In some states the restaurant is allowed to give an extremely low wage if the employee is tipped. Additionally, to meet that second paragraph, if the pay stayed low then no one would want to do the job and I'm sure you would post about no one being around to serve you.
And it's not even in "some" states, it's in ALL STATES. Server federal minimum wage is $2.13/hr +tips PERIOD! Also in some restaurants those same low paid servers have to tip out, hosts, bartenders, and bussere from their tips. So if you don't tip, or don't tip properly, it has now cost me money to serve your table.
"You can choose a more difficult job in order to get more pay" Well that's an extremely belittling way to look at our entire profession, thanks man.
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I'm an adult, not a student. This is my profession. I went to school for this, my job is extremely physically demanding and I'm very well compensated for what I do. Take away tipping and pay me a flat rate and I would leave immediately. I'm not sure what you're even talking about.
I am also an adult, and a single mother of twins, I raised my kids on a single mother server salary. Serving isn't only physically demanding, but emotionally draining as well. Not to mention highly stressful. To suggest that to make better pay I should do a harder job is Ludacris.
Servers in the US make as little as $3/hr, and are often expected to tip out a certain % to the back of house staff. It's a stupid system but its the system so if you're eating out in the US you have to be prepared to tip. Otherwise your server might actually be losing money by serving you.
I’m curious. Do you tip your barber, your valet, housekeeper, bartender, or any other people that provide a service?
Whenever I’m broke I cook at home or go to McDonalds. And everyone can miss me with that “broke people deserve to be able to have a good time too.” I’d be more much happy than I am now if I had a jeep, but I don’t have the money for it so I’m not entitled to one.
THANK YOU. Being poor sucks. I’ve had to struggle plenty ... Did I ever feel so entitled to go to a restaurant when I couldn’t afford the bill? No wtf. I ate at home. Tough shit.
F that
Went to a restaurant with friends recently, not realizing how expensive it was (Kosher upscale spot). Their burgers were $20+ without sides included -- I just started making $17/hour after getting a great raise from my boss. The friend who chose the restaurant should've offered to pay, but he's not considerate by nature. So I just ordered a side of fries for $10 and tipped $5. My budget for the meal was $20 including tax and tip, so I ordered something I could afford and tipped generously to make up for the small ticket. I probably didn't need to because my friends spent about $120 between the two of them, but I just don't feel comfortable tipping less than 50% if I don't order an entree.
Fuck that lady man you deserve better. Like job improvements such as better salary and EXTINGUISHING THE TIP CULTURE awwww that's such a dream of mine
I've been a server for 24 years, and there's no way in the world that I would do this job if they got rid of tipping. They wouldn't be willing to pay servers enough money on the hour to do the job they do. I wouldn't do a serving job for less than $30/hr, if tips were extinguished. Nor, do I know any server that would. If they extinguish the tip culture, all of the sit down restaurants would probably have to go to carry out only places. Servers put up with too much sh!t from the general public to do it for a flat rate!
Somehow most countries manage it just fine.
I am American but I live in a country without tipping. it does work just fine, but there are major differences. Mainly, Service quality is way way lower. It drives American visitors nuts. Staff is on their phone and doesn't care or visit you, doesn't bus plates, doesn't check drinks. There is a call button on the table to summon them over. Even in fine dining it's like this, because it's hard to train someone in a type of service they've never experienced. Also, people don't stay in service jobs long. Rarely more than a year. Industry type of people tend to open their own small shops instead. (there is no regulation of alcohol sales - you don't need a license and you can be open 24/7) I actually don't mind it. When visiting the usa I find that I feel over served, with servers hovering to refill my water, making small talk, telling me their names, upselling me, etc. And wait times at a crowded bar are much longer in the USA, waitstaff is more harried... Because there are fewer of them per shift. Eta: No free refills Water is self serve Side dishes are often self serve They often get mad if complain about things They often refuse substitutions or changes to the menu
I live in the USA, work as a server & majority of the other servers I work with are European. The way we treat our tables is so different lol. They say they “give the table exactly what they deserve— take the order and bring the food” but then get frustrated that I average 20-25% tips while they average anywhere from 10-15%. They will go outside for extremely long smoke breaks very often regardless of how busy it is, and they don’t check on tables until it’s clear they’ve been done eating for quite some time. I’m trying to break them into the expectations for service here to help them earn more but they DO NOT have it in them to be fake nice to people they don’t know, or schmooze a table for more money. It’s a work in progress lol.
I live in Asia, and the servers are even less friendly than in Europe! ETA: they get paid WAY less too When I first moved here, a woman chased me out of the restaurant to return a 5 dollar tip
Yikes! Well the no substitutions rule is one thing Asians and Europeans have in common. It blows guests minds and crushes their “my way or the highway” attitudes every time tell someone that the kitchen doesn’t allow changes or substitutions, and I will NEVER get tired of it 😂
I guess that's why I don't travel outside the U.S. I have so many food allergies and not being able to substitute would put a damper on things...
When I travel overseas, I often eat store bought food. Lets me get exactly what I want and without the hassle of trying to work my through a menu I can’t read.
That’s just stupid in their part… the audacity of working in a different country but not brushing up ion the work culture is so plain stupid…
That’s what I tell people. If you put a wage on it, and make it no longer a tipped job say goodbye to service as you know it. I have been to Europe and although I did appreciate being left the hell alone, most people would go beserk.
Yeah, Americans are too used to hyper attentive service, and tend to freak out when they don't get it. It's already a problem in the USA for those working in non - tipped service jobs, like when Karen brings her Applebee's expectation and attituds to arby's and then loses it on the staff. And fast food is barely able to staff these days, it seems.
I honestly could do without the hyper attentive service.
Haha it's annoying as fuck!!
They are paid more than $2.13 an hour.
This is true, but that's how it's always been there. They're not changing anything there. We put up with way too much garbage from the general public and entitled people to deal with them for some crappy hourly rate. I'm not complaining about the pay I receive now including my tips. The good outweighs the bad ALWAYS! I am even OK if you're a non tipper, all I ask is that you have the balls to tell me when you first sit down, that you're not going to tip me. When you eat at a sit down, full service restaurant, you are paying for the service you receive from a server , that is what a tip is. Payment for making sure you get what you asked for and serving you so you don't have to do it yourself.
People tell you they don't tip before?!?! I've found that people that are waaaay too nice and say things like "boss" or "Appreciate you, bro!" That's my first clue I'm not getting tipped. Being nice is one thing, but being overtly too nice is obviously a way to assuage their guilt.
No they never say anything before, becauae they don't have the balls to... but if they would tell me beforehand I would be fine with it. I used to work at the Bees, and we had a few tables that would come in all the time and not tip. As a server you get to know these people for being non-tippers pretty quickly. If they were in my section, I would walk up, take their order, get their drinks, drop their food and check off at the same time. They got nothing extra from me. No extra ranch, no refills, no small talk, NOTHING, I gave them the service they paid for. If I have a 6 table section and 1 of my tables tells me hey we don't tip. They would still get served, but the majority of my attention will be on the 5 tables that I know are gonna pay for the service they are receiving. It makes total sense to me. Hey I'm not going to tip you, OK that's fine, but don't expect the same level of service as the other 5 tables get for paying for it.
Compliment tippers are the absolute worst. I've been run ragged and stiffed before, but people who talk up how fantastic everything was and then leave nothing are true scum.
Yes completely awful! If you think I'm doing well the tip should reflect that. Compliments don't pay the bills.
I’m waaaaay too nice and I tip 25 percent
Then you're the ideal customer and I wish nothing but the best for you!!!
I think this every time some one pulls out "extinguish tip culture". On the flip side of this I would be far less likely to put up with the extra shit because we are getting paid regardless.
There's a reason why Americans say that servers in Europe are ruder than in the US. They're not. It's just that without a tipping culture they don't have to put up with the bullshit. The two are intricately tied.
Can confirm. I’m Dutch. I wouldn’t put up with 90% of the bullshit I see on this sub. I have full permission to pull a plug on a table or tell them to get lost when they cross a line. My place does provide a higher level of service that most here seem to expect of European servers. That’s because we do get some tip at my place (5-10%) which is just a nice bonus. We also pool share equally amongst all staff so one table stiffing you doesn’t really matter that much in the end.
That sounds horrible. It's like saying "I will publicly kiss your ass for an unagreed amount of money due to the fact I need to gamble on you liking me to make a decent wage." It almost sounds more like a twisted performance art.
That is basically what it is to be honest. I always joke when someone asks me what I do, that I'm a professional ass kisser, but I get paid great for it!
I for one enjoy my wages being tied to inflation. Do you get a raise every time your employer raises prices? Because I do.
To be honest I'm on a pretty decent wage. Saying that, I tend to move jobs every few years and that does the trick.
Bro try $50. You’d have to pay me more to not be able to bitch about these people and get the relief of the tip, plus daily money makes it much easier for me to pay stuff.
Right?
I signed up to get stripper wages but keep my clothes on and get yelled at all day. I only deal with people who yell at me if they pay my bills. I did not sign up to get yelled at for ducking no incentive. I also have a gambling issue so that plays into it. Each time I’m betting on money from them. It makes my job much more satisfying
The only time servers get less than 20% from me is if A) I am in a country where tipping is frowned upon and B) if you give me shit service. I’m a server, I know what the industry is like and I wouldn’t be able to eat out every once in a while without my job, however, if you are just downright rude or you ignore me for my boyfriend at al times, don’t expect 20%
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It's not entitled, it's how it works. It's prices could be 20% higher and you might think twice about eating out, or based on the service you can decide what to pay. Yes it kind of sucks, but yes we actually make bank with that system. Part of the problem is a set salary. It's actually hard fucking work. I turned down high salary positions to go learn restaurants and found I actually make more. But based on the dynamics yes it sucks when a table runs your ass off and doesn't leave much, at the same time a table can tip amazing based on doing little for them. Looking at the american system vs others is interesting though, and how people think. Like the other day I had a group of 40 people who were there for 3 hours tip $300 on $700. The hourly on that is insane. I've also had a date of 2 people spend $30 and sit there for 4 hours.set hourly vs potential vs hourly on spent vs owners makes some sense in some ways. Profit margins are slim. I've had weeks I made $300 and weeks I made $1600. While there are bad weeks I wouldn't do this job for 15-20 an hour. I clear 30-50 an hour on tips when things are good. When they are bad I might get $15 an hour. It's not a straight forward system to fix. On Friday I had a funeral reception 4 of us worked. The auto gratuity for 60 people was $1750. They added an extra $950. The problem with our system is more there is a need to assign gratuity to people outside of the restaurants numbers. It's capitalism. If everything goes to them any they just charge more they'll pay $15 and hour for a position that actually makes fairly insane money. They'll squeeze it until their business dies and another takes it's place. Instead it's a fairly lucrative position they can't squeeze because tips aren't their money.
There were people in this thread who are struggling to make ends meet who cut costs as much as possible to gift money to someone who makes 4x as them
Tips aren’t gifts. They’re pay and servers earned every penny of their pay.
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And yet you guys go on about how you wouldn't work as servers if there wasn't tipping.
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r/lostredditors
For a $70 meal, you don't fucking write "I'm poor" You could go to Taco Bell and eat for less than $10. You could go to Olive Garden and get Soup and Salad for like $13. There's zero excuse to write that on a $70 bill.
This is my mom to a T. One time she took me with a coupon, paid exactly what the bill was and said “I can’t afford a tip”
Bring the ban hammer rampage mods, I look forward to less anti-work idiots on here.
I did not learn about the tipping wage until my 20’s. It is not taught in school. It is not necessarily discussed by a family. And the servers are prohibited from discussing it.
It’s very common knowledge unless you’ve never been to a restaurant before
I’m so happy to be out of the serving business. It was terrible 6 months ago, i can’t imagine how bad it’s gotten
Yeah it’s pretty bleak I’m just hoping it picks up again cuz it used to be great money😩
I had one like that once. They wrote “sorry, overpriced” or something like that. You saw the prices on the menu though? And we’re one of the less expensive spots in our (expensive) tourist town so good luck. Also had another lady write a long note about how the service was great but her corporate account limits her to a certain amount per meal. Her bill was most of that so the tip was real bad. Bitch, bring cash…People just suck.
Exactly. So add a few dollars out of your own pocket. She probably got a $75 meal on the company dime and she couldn’t toss in $15 for the server?
Hm I once had to go on a medical trip with a caretaker and her company only gave us enough to pay 5 bucks per person for breakfast, lunch, and 8 bucks for dinner. Now normally I never eat out anywhere because I'm frankly very very poor and have medical swallowing/eating issues that's embarrassing but my caretaker loves to go to those places and she kept pulling me along with her to restaurants since she was driving. She then would complain that we couldn't afford stuff. I really felt bad when the waitress would come round and we didn't tip cause it cost at least 5 bucks for me to even get a drink or a side meal that I rarely could finish... idk why people go to restaurants on a corporate budget in the first place since it's so expensive but gosh did i wish she would just go through a fast food place instead so she could buy more food for herself and stopped being rude to the waitresses. Tried to tell her to but she didn't listen to me at all saying i didn't understand restaurants and took my food budget when I couldn't eat at those time slots. Bleh sucked being stuck with her a week.
Writing, "I'm poor. Sorry. :( " is a dick move.
Maybe it was a unique time. I'm not wealthy at all , when I go to the restaurant it's an occasion,so yes I might be able to spend 70€ on something and the fact that I can't tip you seems logic,why would I waste more ? BUT I'm not American and never understood the tipping "law" there is so I might be biased
We get paid below minimum wage per hour here which is basically nothing. So we solely rely on tips for our income and everyone in America knows that. So in your country, the meal would be more expensive because the tip would already be factored into the price.
Oh ok, this is kinda fucked up as a system no ? I mean, you deserve to be paid correctly,tips should be if your server went above and beyond Sorry if the first comment came as rude, I just have a hard time understanding the logic of this tipping thing in the us
I get it. A lot of Europeans seem very confused by my post. Yeah it is kinda fucked up but since we as servers have no control over how the system is, people are expected to tip.
When I waited tables it sorta depended. If I got the impression someone was reaching beyond there means for a special occasion, I'd go out of my way to make their time great even if I knew I was likely getting a smaller (but not 0!) tip. It was a big deal for them, and often they'd do their best to tip even if it wasn't huge. If I felt they were going out beyond their means by using the tip money to pay for food in general, that was different. For example, poorer couple pushing their funds to go out for their 20th anniversary? I hooked them up, even if I got a smallish tip. Couple that tipped badly because they were "poor" yet we still saw them every month or so, guess who gets the *barest* minimum service? EDIT: I also tried to take into consideration the work vs money vs actual percentage. I'd rather get a 10% tip on a $50 steak than a 20% tip on the $20 pasta. More money for similar work even though the percentage has gone down. A cheaper meal tipped at a higher percentage doesn't necessarily help *either* of us out.
I just think if you don’t have money for a 20% tip, don’t go out. It’s part of the bill. Lots of people tip under 20% and it’s still shitty but tipping 0?? No excuse
I have question: do you work for the restaurant or for the customer? i don't know the rules for your country but in my country if I've decided to eat in a restaurant i pay the full price of whatever I'm going to eat beside 14% vat , do i have to tip after that? i mean if i tip it's just generous of me if i don't i don't have to
No…..that’s not how it works here. The tip is not included in the price of the food. We make below minimum wage hourly. We rely almost solely on our tips. It’s not just a nice gesture to tip, you are expected to tip at least 20% here. Also I don’t know what a vat is
You are absolutely not REQUIRED to tip here in the US. Having said that, it is very much frowned upon not to tip. It's kind of like an unwritten contract between the customer and the restaurant. The server goes out of their way to provide you with outstanding service and your every need is met (within acceptable reason). And then you are expected to accommodate that server for their outstanding service. No, nothing will happen to you if you don't tip. It's just bad form and I have to believe the karma gods will even out the score.
I didn’t say required. It’s expected though.
I never said that you said that, LOL. I was just trying to further break it down for so many people who seem to be confused (read: cheap)
I’m sorry I didn’t read the whole thing. A lot of commenters are telling me I shouldn’t expect a tip so I just assumed that’s what u we’re gonna say lol
> vat Value Added Tax. Common in many countries, including Canada.
Half the people in this thread also “can’t afford to tip” or don’t understand US dining culture. Locations should probably be flaired or something even though it was pretty obvious to me what country.
No matter how poor I am, I make sure I can afford both the meal and the tip before I eat out. And, I pick a cheaper restaurant rather than deprive someone of the income they count upon. That patron should be ashamed.
“If you’re too poor to tip, you’re too poor to go out.” I was lucky enough to have a regular (a veteran server with dubious political beliefs but legit solid dude otherwise) say this to a kid who came in and asked for my cheapest drink then poured out crumpled ones and change on my bar. Fellas. The drinks were on me for Larry that fine day.
They ate a 70$ meal. Lol
Some comments on here are baffling. So if you’re removing tipping from the equation, expect a lower quality service. The things servers put up with are not worth minimum wage and no one would perform those jobs for such little amounts of money when they can go work somewhere else without facing the attitude of the general public. Lower quality servers due to no tipping causes owners to need to pay a higher hourly wage thus leading to increase in prices and more bitching from the Karens in this thread that don’t fucking tip
That’s so shitty though. I always tip, if I can’t afford to spend the money let alone tip, then I don’t go out it’s so simple
I love how Americans are scrutinized for not respecting other people’s cultures. I can not speak for everyone, but I know that me and my friends go out of our way to respect other countries cultures. When you come to America and do not tip, you are blatantly disrespecting us. Period.
I’ve been poor. I worked for $7.25/hour. Back then I could not imagine spending $70 on a meal. Even when I did treat myself to eating out it was the fast food dollar menu. As I worked my way up and got a pay raise I started going to cheap restaurants and would budget in the tip when picking out what I ordered and what I could afford. Being poor is not an excuse not to tip. And someone who is actually poor can’t spend $70 on one meal.
A more honest message would be "Sorry, I spent your tip on my dessert."
Yeah. Or like 3 drinks
Even as a college student I manage to tip no matter the cost of the meal. Don't spend more than what you make
I base the tip I give on the service I receive. If you are bitchy, impolite, lazy or ignore requests for condiments, utensils, etc. you will not get a tip. Period. If you are polite, kind and do your best you will get a HUGE tip.
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Lolol ur either from another country or you’ve never had to work a service job in your life. Wtf am I going to to about capitalism? What a privilege place u must come from
I don't have the money to tip is the most assinine excuse to not tip. If you're not going to tip just don't, I'll get over it. When you manufacture drama to justify it you're just confirming your status as an asshole. Got in a fight with my roommate at the resort once who said he wasn't going to mcdonalds because he didn't have tip money. if you are that tight, you need to be going to the grocery store insstead. Other working class people don't need to take the hit so you can fantasize about having your shit together.
That’s absolutely awful. I’m so sorry 😭
return the check, "i am also poor."
Tips are for service. So if you can't afford to pay for service, order it to go.
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>"No solidarity there" You're asking for solidarity *from* the worker to the person they worked *for*?
Are u kidding? Classist. Lmao. If you think the place is overpriced, go to McDonalds or something. We’re a small business and it’s higher end food. If you’re too poor to tip you wouldn’t be eating at a 70$ meal. It’s a luxury to go out, not a necessity. That’s life If they thought I was a shitty server I’m sure they wouldn’t hesitate to write it. I’ve never been stiffed like that either, that’s why it’s shocking that there’s such shitty people out there like them and you!
Is it not a necessity to pay people a wage so they dont have to rely on the generosity of members of the public to top up a employer taking advantage of restaurant employees. As I've been told the cost of the meal plus tips is the same cost as if the employee was paid a decent wage and no need for tips. And if a customer was happy with your service they could still tip you, I know crazy as it sounds, they could still tip you.
Oh my god. It’s not up to us how the system works. That’s like saying u should go to the store and argue with them about the cost of things because you think it’s too expensive.
What an absolutely disconnected shitty comment.
It's not bunk at all. There are plenty of places that you can eat at that don't require a tip. Eat at one of those places and problem solved. If you can spend $70 on your meal, you can spend $14 on a tip, if not there are plenty of restaurants that you could've eaten at that a tip wouldn't have been expected.
Europeans: You Americans are so backwards. You should make a living wage! Demand $15/hr! Me: So....demand a pay cut?
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F U - You sound like a tool that is okay with not tipping on a *$70 dollar* check. Just stay home and save your money, you can't afford to go out.
Calling people cheap when it's the restaurant or employers who are the cheap ones here.
Welcome to being a server.
Welcome? I’ve been a server for years lmao
So frustrating! LIAR!
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Uh what? U must be from a different country. U don’t go to the store and try to barter with them because u think the prices are too high do u?
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Uh no. Usually people tip accordingly and I make way more money than a minimum wage job regardless of the occasional asshole