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**Erin** · 08-07-2006, 06:22 AM

I'll never understand why people do that to the people waiting on them. If you're giving good service and having to put up with other people's crap and obnoxiousness, they should at least tip you.

Too bad you werent the waiter that waited on me and my boyfriend tonight...we ended up giving him a nearly 50% tip. (total was a little over $18...we gave him $9 for the tip)

The waiter looked like he was having a crappy night. There was a table near us that had two screaming children...(could hear them outside before we came in) Then we ended up getting seated next to their table. Which was ok, because they left a few minutes after we sat down. I got a look at their table and it was totally trashed, debris all over the floor. And a used diaper on the seat. (ewwwwww!!!!!!!!!!) The waiter was busing his own tables and just about freaked when he saw how bad those people trashed it. He went into the back and brought out a bottle of disinfectant and a plastic bag to pick the diaper up with.

and, of course, they didnt tip him at all. We heard him muttering under his breath about the cheap sloppy a-holes. He was also having to deal with a obnoxious old guy who kept sending his order back and complaining about the temperature of the restaurant. That guy was swearing up a storm at the waiter. (dont know if he left a tip or not)

So when our check came, my boyfriend and I chipped in a little extra. He gave us great service, hot food...kept our drinks full. I hope us leaving him $9 for a tip helped him feel a little better.

**Mixed Bag** · 08-07-2006, 06:41 AM

Tipping to make up for a party like that seems like an even more apropos form of kindness than paying the toll of the car behind you.

But how did you know they didn't tip?

**Erin** · 08-07-2006, 06:54 AM

After the waiter muttered under his breath about cheap sloppy a-holes, he was talking to another employee about how he had to clean up that table, dispose of a dirty diaper and that they didnt even bother to tip him. (they could of at least left him some money for the hazardous waste disposal for the diaper)

He just looked a little frazzled (big golf tournament in Omaha this weekend across the street from the restaurant...think today was the last day) Boyfriend and I had the money to tip extra, and thought the guy just deserved a little extra.

It made me feel good. I never used to be a generous tipper. Not until I met my boyfriend and on one of our first dates we had a similar situation where the waitress helping was looking stressed and taking a lot of crap from the people she was waiting. Boyfriend left her a 40-50% tip. We got halfway out the door when the manager asked if our credit slip was correct. We told him it was, and that the waitress more than deserved it. The smile on the waitresses face was so big, she looked like she'd won the jackpot.

I think it's cool when you can get another person to smile like that, so when I can afford it, and the service was good, I like to add a little extra.

**Mixed Bag** · 08-07-2006, 07:12 AM

I make a point of eating out when it's slow because it's more pleasant for me and the people I'm with (and, presumably, the staff), and at those times I see employees loosen up, and I actually prefer that kind of human interaction to the forced greeting of people by name that so many of us disdained in the nametag thread--but that must have been one SC party for the waiter to complain about them for you to hear, as I never experienced THAT level of frankness.

P.S. Though I know little about Omaha in actuality, for some reason it's always been rather high on my list of medium-sized cities to investigate--call it a hunch. Glad you enjoy it.

**frigginyeah** · 08-07-2006, 07:20 AM

that story singularly made me grateful and nostalgic about not working in food service any more.

erin, people of your moral fiber are like angels to servers everywhere.

and GOD i'm glad i'm not a server any more.

I once had a table of six that complained about the temp, so we moved them... so another section... but i still had to wait on them, not tell me what they wanted, but rather asked me to recite a good portion of the menu or pointed to what they wanted. They needed 3 dressings and 4 things of crackers for their salads, and then once they got their food, they sent it back ESSENTIALLY because they really had NO IDEA what they had ordered. They complained about the "attitude" in which their meals were delivered, even though the server that delivered it had no idea of any of their hijinx... (guilty much?). they ordered other entrees and expected us to not charge for the first entrees. they then said it was a birthday party to get free dessert. and after all that, then left me $1!!!!!

I grabbed it off the table... walked up to them, and returned it, saying, "You obviously need this more than I do."

I immediately went to my manager and told him what i did.

I didn't get into any trouble.

hellsyes.

**bakircioglu** · 08-07-2006, 03:36 PM

Not to cause any arguements here...

...but at least there was a tip to go back to. From a lot of stories here, a tip (no matter how small or big) is a rare occurance. I don't feel its justified to moan because its 1.6% under the 10% advertised recommended generally accepted to be a decent tip.

Being a waiter/waitress means you can supplement your dreadful standard wage by providing decent service, through tipping.

Working in retail doesn't give you that chance a lot of the time and we're still expected to provide a good service.

And again, I don't want to cause an arguement but a tip is a tip. A $1/$2 on a $50+ bill is a complete pisstake, I agree but a $17.00 tip is a nice extra, no matter what the order.

Please, again, I don't want this to be taken as an arguement.

**NightWolf** · 08-07-2006, 03:49 PM

Well, much like bakircioglu, I don't want to start a flame fest, but I'd be elated to have a tip like that regardless of the size of the order. I'm used to a 1-2 dollar tip when I did food service. maybe 3-4 bucks if it was a larger order. I think it's always a crap shoot when tipping is involved. Sometimes you get good tips and others not. However calling someone stupid for thinking that her friends would pick up the tip, I personally think was a bit wrong.

**kibbles** · 08-07-2006, 04:09 PM

ITA with everyone who said that you did get a tip, people tip differently, that's their business IMO.

Kibbles

**Moirae** · 08-07-2006, 04:12 PM

I realize that people like to be tipped. And that, in the US, tipping is considered something you always do no matter what because of those ridiculous laws you have there that make it possible for you to earn about $2 an hour. But I do find the notion that people think they deserve to be tipped for doing their jobs and not anything special at all to be absurd.This sense of entitlement is just horrible.

You may have had to put up with her crap. But hey, it's your job. You may have had to serve her. But hey, it's your job. Yes, your job sucks. So does mine. So does everyones.

Tipping is for when the server goes out of their way and you know they've gone out of their way to make you happy. It's not for every day.

Why should you be tipped for doing your every day job? I wish I got tipped for doing my job. That would be fantastic. I know waiters and waitresses that are making about twice the amount of money I make per hour because of tipping.

Tipping it not to make up for the wage you should get and don't. It's to encourage you to go above and beyond to make the customer happy.

Yes, it sucks that you didn't get a tip. Please move on instead of getting upset about it.

**FredKlein** · 08-07-2006, 06:17 PM

Quoth Moirae View Post

...But I do find the notion that people think they deserve to be tipped for doing their jobs and not anything special at all to be absurd.This sense of entitlement is just horrible.
...
Tipping is for when the server goes out of their way and you know they've gone out of their way to make you happy. It's not for every day.

Why should you be tipped for doing your every day job? I wish I got tipped for doing my job. That would be fantastic.

Exactly. Tipping just lets restaraunt owners pay lower-then-minimum wages (and therefore have lower-than-otherwise prices while not reducing profits). This cheats the customer, as they pay twice: once to the restaraunt, and once as a tip. It's just another way to rip off the customer, and THAT'S why some people don't tip- they are tired of getting ripped off.

**Erin** · 08-07-2006, 07:13 PM

Quoth Mixed Bag View Post

that must have been one SC party for the waiter to complain about them for you to hear, as I never experienced THAT level of frankness.

P.S. Though I know little about Omaha in actuality, for some reason it's always been rather high on my list of medium-sized cities to investigate--call it a hunch. Glad you enjoy it.

He wasnt complaining to us about the people. I have fairly decent hearing. The restaurant was not that busy by that point, seemed like they were just recovering from a rush...when I heard him talking he had just started cleaning the slobby people's table. He just muttered under his breath something about them being cheap slobby a-holes....The rest of it I heard when he mentioned it to another employee. I doubt that the waiter knew I heard him.

I have had other waiters/waitresses complain outright to me about another customer...but those have been rare, and are usually from people who have waited on me before on a regular basis. Since I've been there/done that when it comes to having to deal with rude people, I usually have a lot of sympathy for the wait staff when I see sucky customers.

Omaha is actually a fairly nice place. A lot of people seem to think there is nothing to do here, but those are locals and they really have no idea what's going on in their own city.

**Greenday** · 08-07-2006, 07:43 PM

At my job where I work at concession stands, we will serve people food worth up to $60-$70. These are all items that are $4-$6 each. I've noticed that the people who almost never tip are the people who spend that ridiculous amount. I have people who tip a buck for a $3 bottle of water or iced tea. I mean, if you are willing to spend $63 on burgers, hotdogs, and fries, what's another $2 for a tip? People don't think it matters, they think I get paid plenty on my paycheck. I get less than $40 a day salary. It sure as hell isn't enough.

**Qwakkeddup** · 08-07-2006, 08:42 PM

Quoth Moirae View Post

Tipping it not to make up for the wage you should get and don't. It's to encourage you to go above and beyond to make the customer happy.

Don't know where you are from but you do mention here in the US the tendency for wait staff to get less than minimum wage. Tipping is considered by most to be voluntary. I was taught to tip for good service, even mediocre. Big tips are reserved for those who go out of their way for you the customer. 15% to me is regular service, above that is for exellence.
About two months ago, a waitress accidentaly dumped my soda in my lap, management comped the meal, and she got a 20%-25% tip from the original bill. Her service was great, the spill was an accident.

**Rapscallion** · 08-07-2006, 09:07 PM

Just to remind people, we're here to discuss sucky customers and not to change society. Whether or not tipping should be the cultural norm in the US is not a suitable debate - it is, and that's the world we try to live and earn in. If you want to change the world, speak to your local politicians.

If this thread degenerates further into debate on those lines, we'll close it. Keep it to the SCs, please.

Rapscallion

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