Discussion (bring your "A" game): If you wait tables are you guaranteed a tip?

milehighassassin · Aug 2, 2016

I start my tips out at 20%. It's not hard to get. More if the service is great or the server did something to make my visit special. Less if they don't care, or don't try. If it's really bad, I'll talk to a manager. I enjoy tipping. I enjoy eating out. I generally don't tip for carry out unless I frequent them or know them.

Honestly if you get good service you should be tipping 20%. If you can't tip 20% then consider cooking yourself or carrying it out.

milehighassassin · Aug 2, 2016

Scott said:
We've all seen this on menus too...

"Parties of 10 or more will have 15% gratuity automatically added to the bill."

15% of final bill AFTER tip? Or before tip?
Or are you expected to add MORE tip on top their large party gratuity?

Is the restaurant telling me that 15% is standard?

15% is added and that is their tip. Nothing else is needed unless you think they deserve more. You'd be amazed at how many people will go to a nice restaurant, places that cost $25+ a plate and then leave $1 as a tip. You just spent $200 on booze alone and give the server $1?

Springs1 · Aug 2, 2016

snowracer21 said:
The biggest thing people need to realize is, if your food is slow, it's not the servers fault.

Actually you are SOOOOOOOO VERY WRONG for the VERY MOST part, here's why:

 Sorry to burst your bubble, but here's why you are wrong:

Ask yourself these questions as a server:

1. WHEN do you put in my order? Do you wait or do you go put it in immediately after taking it? If you are double sat or triple sat, you can still go put in each order into the computer after taking each table’s order. By not doing that can result in a much longer wait and that would be YOUR FAULT.

2. FORGETTING to put in an order. My husband and I have experienced this for REAL that servers ADMITTED to our faces they have FORGOTTEN TO PUT ORDERS IN. All of them were appetizers, bar drinks, and a cup of soup.

3. Did you put in the order CORRECTLY into the computer? Have had many times servers ADMITTED to our faces they did not do that correctly. Have had wrong entrées before due to our server putting in the order wrong. Have had wrong bar drinks too due to the server putting in the order wrong.

4. Did you FORGET ANYTHING I ORDERED such as a SIDE DISH? We have had this happen a number of times as well.

5. Did you DROP anything I ordered? Luckily, we have not had this happen, but I have seen a server once drop some fries from a plate before and I did have a waiter spill some margarita martini when pouring into a martini glass. In other words, it is possible, not likely, but very possible.

6. Did you remember to GET my food? We have had a server do that before. Also, we have had a number of servers forget bar drinks.

7. Did you bring out my food obviously correctly if you bring my food out? Do you realize how many times OUR OWN SERVER brings out DUH mistakes like the side dish is wrong, the entrée is wrong, something obvious is not correct bacon that isn’t covered up isn’t extra, extra crispy when you can clearly notice that it isn’t without touching anything, etc.? Every DUH mistake you bring out is YOUR FAULT I am waiting for what I did order by you wasting my time bringing me the wrong item or wrongly prepared item or forgot something. While we all make mistakes, I would have to say a good 90% of the time, servers NEVER COMPARE THE WRITTEN ORDERS TO THE FOOD, because they are TOO LAZY and DON’T CARE!!

8. Servers DO wait to put in entrée orders when appetizers, side salads, or cups of soup are ordered. THAT *IS* THE GOD’S TRUTH! Sometimes it’s TOO LONG THEY WAIT! If it’s another server, it still doesn’t make it the kitchen staff’s fault I have the wrong side dish for example since that is something that’s obvious. It’s either my server that didn’t put in my order correctly or this other server that didn’t compare the ticket to the food or that this other server did compare the ticket to the food, but just missed it(HIGHLY UNLIKELY, but possible).

9. WHEN do you come to GET MY ORDER? That part is covered in #2 below.

10. WHEN do you DECIDE to LET ME ORDER? That part is covered in #4 below.

11. WHEN do you decide to DELIVER MY FOOD? That part is covered in #1 below.

12. Do you, because they are out of something, decide to assume everyone wants the closest thing so you do the ordering for me? That part is covered in #3 below.

13. WHEN do you decide to check up on WHERE the food is? If the kitchen staff somehow lost the ticket, did you wait 30 minutes and then decide to find out that or did you check after 10-15 minutes to see that our food was getting started on?

1. Once, we had a Red Lobster waitress had our 2 entrées on the tray as well as 2 side salads that were for a couple that wasn’t even there when we ordered. Anyway, instead of bypassing their table to hand us ours first since WE DID ORDER FIRST(common sense would tell you that it takes more time to cook food than it does to fix a side salad anyways even if it wasn’t our server that delivered our food, but it was our waitress that delivered our food), she decided to hand them theirs first off the tray. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS IN THE SERVER’S CONTROL TO HAND OUT THINGS OFF THE SAME TRAY IN THE ORDER IN WHICH IT WAS ORDERED IN!!

2. Once, we had a waitress that greeted us which we ordered an appetizer as well as our drinks when greeted. I saw she tucking in chairs at empty tables and pretty much doing everything but coming back to get our entrée order. Well, I found out what happened. She brought out our appetizer and when I asked she said that she wanted to wait to put in our entrée orders. The thing is, that delayed us more by not at least coming to GET our orders. That way, when the appetizer was ready, we wouldn’t have gotten delayed eating our appetizer since we then had to give our entrée orders when we could have given our entrée orders WELL BEFORE THAT and we would have gotten our entrées faster due to that she could have just left to put our entrée orders into the computer after delivering our appetizer instead of taking time to order when our appetizer was sitting in front of us. The point is, SHE delayed our entrées as well as to be able to start eating our appetizer because she could have at least TAKEN our entrée orders and then when our appetizer would have been brought out, could have immediately gone to the computer to put our entrée orders in. What she did was make us wait while our hot appetizer was sitting in front of us, we couldn’t touch it, because we had to order our entrées and could have done that wayyy before that. She also delayed our entrées because we had to spend extra time AFTER our appetizer arrived to give her our entrée orders when we could have done that wayyyy before that.

3. Once, we had a waitress that assumed that because they were out of raspberry topping for a cheesecake slice when we had ordered dessert that she’d bring us strawberry. Turns out, she knew when she put in the order that the computer had it the manager told us. So she did it on PURPOSE to be so lazy and uncaring as to not come to ask if we wanted the next closest thing. We didn’t, we sent it back, so she had MORE WORK. Also, she didn’t even think about what if someone is allergic to strawberries. I just honestly can’t believe someone would do that. If they are out of something, common sense would be to come to see if the next closest thing is ok. Not everyone wants the next closest thing. So it wasn’t like it was just getting the order wrong by accident or by not verifying the written order with what she was bringing or putting in the order wrong by accident, this was on PURPOSE to be LAZY and to ASSUME. I didn’t know at first that she did that. I thought at first she just was that stupid(or truly just messed up(highly doubt it)) to bring us strawberries on top of a cheesecake when we ordered raspberries.

4. Your server delays coming to get your order or delays you ordering due to personal conversation. We have had that before as well. Once, we had a waiter that we didn’t know after waiting 15 mins. for a table on Mardi Gras day ask us BEFORE we ORDERED ANYTHING “How’s y’all’s Mardi Gras” “Go to any parades.” See, I don’t mind chit chat with a stranger, but be considerate to do it AFTER we have our orders into the computer so you don’t take up our time.

We have also had servers not come to get our order due to playing around. Sometimes taking a long time or a longer time has A LOT to do with the server: My husband and I have had 3 TIMES where servers FORGOT to put food orders into the computer. We also have 8 times servers forget to get bar drinks from the bar. Once a waitress forgot to put in a bar drink into the computer. Two of the 3 times it was an appetizer and the servers ADMITTED doing so. The third time was a cup of bisque which is normally served before a meal just like a side salad is. My husband and I also have had delays due to that the servers delayed putting orders into the computer when they COULD have such as deciding to buss a table first or decide instead of a mini-greet(I’ll be right with you all), one waiter I saw decided to take a party of 6 people’s drink/appetizer orders instead of putting in our food orders into the computer. I can understand if they call you over, but if they don’t, you should be putting that order into the computer not delaying our food. The longer you wait to put in orders, the LONGER WE WAIT!! So truly think about that MOST of the time when you wait a LONG TIME for your food or bar drinks even, it could be the server’s fault. 9 times out of 10, your server had *SOMETHING* to do with the delay in most cases! That’s the GOD’S TRUTH!

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Springs1 · Aug 2, 2016

Himark said:
It also helps them isolate areas that may be out of their control but yet need to be corrected to get the maximum tips. ie, food quality or late drinks being served.It may just be the bar tender and not the server.

While at times it can be the bartender's fault for late drinks, the LARGE MAJORITY of the time it's the server's fault. Have had MANY of times servers FORGETTING to put orders in or GET the drinks from the bar. Also, have had servers put in the order wrong and also bring out an OBVIOUS to the EYES WRONG drink or WRONGLY prepared drink(no salt when ordered salt on the rim of a glass of a margarita, for example).

Here's a former bartender to tell you how it really is MOST of the times:

 http://www.cafemom.com/group/416/forums/read/13184309/how_do_you_tip_your_server?next=1#replies
[FONT=&quot]

AutymsMommy said: "I was a bartender during college and I can tell you that in my bar, it was generally the servers fault when bar drinks didn't get to a table in a decent amount of time. I would make service drinks first (I could entertain my bar customers easier than you can explain to a table why it's taking so long to get a drink)... put them on the service bar and the waiters were supposed to pick them up. I can't tell you how many times those drinks would sit there for 5-10 minutes. Then I would have the server bringing the drink back complaining that the customer said it was "watered down".*insert eyeroll*"

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Now I am not saying that **SOMETIMES** it can't be the bartender' s fault. Bartenders can be at fault doing things such as chit chatting or playing around or going out of order for example serving the bar customers when 5 tickets before that haven't been fixed that were for the table guest, but the bartender decides to serve his bar guest first. Also, making the wrong drink even if the server notices it before they serve it, it still took up TIME that was the bartender's fault.

All I am saying is that the MAJORITY of the time it's the server's fault. I have seen a waitress once took my white russian order and then instead of going to the computer, went right to greet the next table and some guy kissed her hand even. I was SOME PISSED that my drink was being DELAYED for that crap when she should have gone to the computer instead and told them a mini-greet of "I'll be right with you all" instead.

Have had times where servers went to buss tables instead of putting in orders, bring out the wrong thing, forget to bring the drink I ordered out, forget to put the order in to begin with, etc. Have had more server's fault than the bartender's fault as far as bar drinks are concerned.

Springs1 · Aug 2, 2016

snowracer21 said:
If your drinks go unrefreshed, or your order is wrong, that generally IS their fault.

Non-bar drinks going unrefreshed is **ALWAYS** their fault.

Ordering being wrong you are 100% right in that MOST of the time it *IS* their fault in general. Sometimes it's not, but generally it is.

Scott · Aug 2, 2016

This is great..... Keep going

LoudHandle · Aug 2, 2016

If you wait tables are you guaranteed a tip?

To answer the original question; If you wait tables are you guaranteed a tip?

HE(double hockey sticks) No!!!!!

IF the service warrants a tip? I do give one. IF it doesn't, I don't. If the service is just plain lousy, ineffective, or nonexistent, I'll leave them a penny or two so they know just how bad they are (as pennies in the service industry is usually considered the ultimate insult). If you leave a dollar they just assume you are a cheap bastard; if you leave penny/s, they should get a clue that they are doing something wrong. I'll leave it up to you if you choose to add constructive feedback in addition to your loose change.

kiliki · Aug 3, 2016

most always tip 20% for fair to great service. only once did I have to leave the 10 pennies in a glass of water. place napkin on top and lower below the table and flip it upside down on the table. the napkin makes a gasket so the water will stay in the glass. this lets the server know they are a perfect 10 for the worst service you have had.
the guy i did this to i had to refill my own water glass after asking 3 time, my food was sloooooooooow and cold but he did have 20 minutes to talk with his friends tho.

Discussion (bring your "A" game): If you wait tables are you guaranteed a tip?

milehighassassin

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Springs1

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Scott

Scott Stiegler

LoudHandle

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kiliki

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