People who don't deserve tips...

[TakeDeadAim]

the problem is restauranteurs pay their labor one third of what they should be paid.

Bingo !!

Emotions and opinions aside, that, in fact, is the REAL reason why the tipping system has been developed. In essence, if my boss won´t pay me what I think I should be paid, let´s ask the customer to pay me directly (and mostly tax free I might add...). I think it is the biggest tax evasion scheme in the US. How much is gov´t losing on income taxes on the service sector??

[senorchipotle]

A little off topic but related to tipping. My wife and I were at Buffalo Wild Wings a couple of years ago. They had just opened up and had a lot of very young staff. The young girl came over to take our drink order and I said we're ready to go ahead and place our meal order as well. She said "Your not eligible to place your order yet because the table next to you hasn't ordered yet." My wife and I were floored. The five top next to us was still waiting on another person and were obviously in no hurry. I was like what the hell does the other table have to do with us! I can't say I've ever been told that was ineligible to order. The rest of the service was bad as well.

i've been known to get up and walk out for less. i can't believe she said that. the worst service in the world however, is in spain. the service is atrocious.

[murphmjm]

if your at an expensive restaurant and you are ordering bottles of wine in the $50+ range don't tip for the bottle, just your food price.

[Chipper]

My opinion on tipping is that you shouldn't be eating out if you don't plan on tipping. Not only is it rude, you're wasting their time and all they are trying to do is make an honest living.

[sean_miller]

My opinion on tipping

I'm a tipper, but I don't go crazy. Some people (usually women - not trying to start something) who've been involved with the service industry think tips should be 30% or higher at a nice restaurant - I'm serious.

There are a lot or underpaid people in service industry, not just waitresses. They're not all lucky enough to be working in a restaurant, especially on the front line, where tipping is encouraged or even mandated. Although it's not my opinion, I do at least understand the opinion of people who refuse to supplement a server's income - was their order bang on? Was the food good? Did they generally get good service? Probably yes to all 3, but they can argue, that's the server is paid to be nice and get the order correct and she doesn't prepare the meal. Personally, I think you're right, those people would be better off saving their money and eating at home.

[Fat Slice]

i've been known to get up and walk out for less. i can't believe she said that. the worst service in the world however, is in spain. the service is atrocious.

I definitely get up and leave if things aren't going well and the place resists my attempts to get them to straighten up. As for Spain, I had great service there. Very slow, very lazy, very laid-back, but great. Anyway, just go to the Tapas bars where you serve yourself and even calculate your own bill - problem solved!

[murphmjm]

My opinion on tipping is that you shouldn't be eating out if you don't plan on tipping. Not only is it rude, you're wasting their time and all they are trying to do is make an honest living.

A servers job function is to serve you and make your dining experience a good one. I can cook all the food they serve at resturants at home, I go for service not for food exclusively. The server is there to wait on me I shouldn't be waiting on them yet I should tip them 20% even if they are horrible? I went for breakfast the other day and i had to ask 4 times for a glass of water till it stuck, needless to say she got a two dollar tip (8% and that was still too much) and no it wasn't busy at all.

[senorchipotle]

to those of you who think it's more expensive in europe and elsewhere where servers are paid salary/full wages, it is not. it's pretty much the same. what pisses me off is that when we tip, we are subsidizing the restaurant owner. all the while he's bending us over and screwing us with exorbitant fees for wine and other alcoholic drinks. i'm a winemaker, and we sell our wine retail for around 40 bucks, we sell wholesale for a little more than 10 bucks off that price. then, the restauranteur turns around and sells my wine for 120% of the retail price, and considering the fact that he only has to pay his wait staff a wage well below minimum wage, he's making a killing. if i ever run for office, i'm gonna propose a bill to change that.

[murphmjm]

to those of you who think it's more expensive in europe and elsewhere where servers are paid salary/full wages, it is not. it's pretty much the same. what pisses me off is that when we tip, we are subsidizing the restaurant owner. all the while he's bending us over and screwing us with exorbitant fees for wine and other alcoholic drinks. i'm a winemaker, and we sell our wine retail for around 40 bucks, we sell wholesale for a little more than 10 bucks off that price. then, the restauranteur turns around and sells my wine for 120% of the retail price, and considering the fact that he only has to pay his wait staff a wage well below minimum wage, he's making a killing. if i ever run for office, i'm gonna propose a bill to change that.

You would think that with such a high markup on everything resturants would be an awesome investment yet 90-95% fail in the first couple years...

[Aceboympk]

And I thought this was about golfing tips. I tip because I can and when I want to. I don't tip when I can't and I don't want to.

[Fatphil]

What gets me at least once a year is having a few cocktails a couple of bottles of wine the bill comes with an 18% already included,,,don't see it and throw another 18-20% on top....man I feel like such a tool!

They always hide the bill that shows the 18% under the copy to sign so you don't see it or they hold it in their hand along with your card and give it back to you folded up. Ha ha when I catch them I go batshit, but I usually don't.

[senorchipotle]

What gets me at least once a year is having a few cocktails a couple of bottles of wine the bill comes with an 18% already included,,,don't see it and throw another 18-20% on top....man I feel like such a tool!

what is this? they grat you when you drink alcohol? i thought that was only for parties over a certain number.

[Chipper]

A servers job function is to serve you and make your dining experience a good one. I can cook all the food they serve at resturants at home, I go for service not for food exclusively. The server is there to wait on me I shouldn't be waiting on them yet I should tip them 20% even if they are horrible? I went for breakfast the other day and i had to ask 4 times for a glass of water till it stuck, needless to say she got a two dollar tip (8% and that was still too much) and no it wasn't busy at all.

There is a difference between not planning on tipping and being denied service.

Threads like these just remind me of college and serving people hand and foot who rack up bills in the hundreds of dollars where I waited on their every need and they still payed in exact change while I made 3 dollars an hour doing so. I consider people like that to be deadbeats.

[Shanks A Million]

to those of you who think it's more expensive in europe and elsewhere where servers are paid salary/full wages, it is not. it's pretty much the same. what pisses me off is that when we tip, we are subsidizing the restaurant owner. all the while he's bending us over and screwing us with exorbitant fees for wine and other alcoholic drinks. i'm a winemaker, and we sell our wine retail for around 40 bucks, we sell wholesale for a little more than 10 bucks off that price. then, the restauranteur turns around and sells my wine for 120% of the retail price, and considering the fact that he only has to pay his wait staff a wage well below minimum wage, he's making a killing. if i ever run for office, i'm gonna propose a bill to change that.

Isn't that the paradox though? You tip because they aren't paid enough, but they aren't paid enough because you tip. It's like the analogy about teaching a man to fish, but in this case, you have to both teach him to fish, and give him a fish to use as bait. Systems get like that, damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Same deal with the Senate. The Senate makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, where people's votes count differently based on where they live. A person from Wyoming gets 69 times more Senate vote than a person from California, and a person from D.C. gets none. But the country could not have been founded without the system, no matter how stupid. Some argue that the Senate gives smaller states more say. These people are stupid. States don't vote, people do. What it does is makes certain people greater than others. The constitution says all men are created equal, yet in practice, it doesn't treat them that way. So basically, we're stuck with antiquated systems until someone grows a pair.

[jamo]

Same deal with the Senate. The Senate makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, where people's votes count differently based on where they live. A person from Wyoming gets 69 times more Senate vote than a person from California, and a person from D.C. gets none. But the country could not have been founded without the system, no matter how stupid. Some argue that the Senate gives smaller states more say. These people are stupid. States don't vote, people do. What it does is makes certain people greater than others. The constitution says all men are created equal, yet in practice, it doesn't treat them that way.

That's because that was a compromise between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan 200 years ago. Then they called it the Great Compromise so everyone would think they were geniuses. If we had more smart people with stones then we wouldn't be in this massive governmental gridlock anyway, but I digress.....

[Shanks A Million]

That's because that was a compromise between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan 200 years ago. Then they called it the Great Compromise so everyone would think they were geniuses. If we had more smart people with stones then we wouldn't be in this massive governmental gridlock anyway, but I digress.....

Yes, of course it was, but that's irrelevant. The "great" compromise (I use the word "great" sparingly) was because the original idea was to have states elect their representatives all at once, instead of with districts. So, California would elect its 53 reps all at once, statewide, not per district. With districts, however, the whole idea goes to pasture because each representative accounts for an approximate number of people.

But this is not 200 years ago, it's now. Just because something was done one way then doesn't make it right. We also had slaves, and decided that a black man accounted for exactly 3/5ths of a white man, but that doesn't still exist, now does it? The problem is, people will rework a system that is bull only if they understand it. They don't understand why the Senate makes no sense. We live in a country where ignorance is king. People think it's cool to say, "I don't know, and I don't care." Intelligent people are labeled "nerds" and "geeks" and other pejoratives, while sports stars are lauded and wealthy. Scientists and intellectuals are looked upon as being snobs, and condemned for their ideas. Teachers and nurses are woefully underpaid, while uneducated large sweaty men crash into eachother on a gridiron field and make millions of dollars. Not much of that makes sense to me.

[jamo]

Yes, of course it was, but that's irrelevant. The "great" compromise (I use the word "great" sparingly) was because the original idea was to have states elect their representatives all at once, instead of with districts. So, California would elect its 53 reps all at once, statewide, not per district. With districts, however, the whole idea goes to pasture because each representative accounts for an approximate number of people.

Dude, I'm agreeing with you, I just provided the reason. I should have bolded the 200 years ago part....

[DBeane]

in the u.s., in case you haven't been, we've got a thing called tipping. waiters/waitresses work on a reduced pay scale to promote this. i don't mind tipping a waiter/waitress who enhances my dining experience, nor do i mind tipping a caddy who enhances my golfing experience.

Hmmmm... An Aggie whining about spending money....thats new...