Are you frugal or are you stingy?

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisdut A (somewhat arrogant) friend of mine used to rip a $10 or $20 bill in half and give it to the server when they arrived at the table.* He would then tell them they would get the other half if the service was good....I thought* the practice was a little brash but it always worked.

yeah, it worked. probably they only spit on half his sandwich.

[Canadian FIRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute 'n' Fuzzy Bunny Trust me...never, ever be a jerk before you get your food, never order anything really exotically weird "have it your way" style at peak lunch or dinner rush, and never send anything back unless its really screwed up.

Ah, yes that brings back memories at working at a pub during school. On wing night when I cooked over 7000 of the damn things. If I ever got some wings sent back because they were cold I would sit them in the microwave until they were so hot it would be close to melting the glass plate.

Cooks in general can be really creative when they are stressed and pissed off. I won't ruin everyone's day by telling some of the more creative stories of fellow cooks.

[Marshac]

Here's how mine tipping schedule works

Bad Service -
Male with the "I'm your best friend, and i'll sit next to you as you order" (found at red robin) attitude ---
Female +
Hot female with the "you could get with me" flirt +++++++
Good service ++
Refill beverage +
Leaves me alone to eat after the initial "hows the food" line +

At least i'm being honest

[kz]

A few weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I left a restaurant without leaving a tip. (and we go there every Sunday)

After receiving our food we didn't see the waitress again except when she brought the bill. This didn't sit well with me since I'm a big coffee drinker. Luckily for me the other waitresses refilled my coffee whenever they were around. I mentioned the problem to the cashier but there was no manager around so I didn't figure it did much good.

The good news is the waitress obviously got the message since for the last two weeks she has been very attentive, even friendly. And I've tipped between 15 & 20% because of the service.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin Does anyone tip extra when they get the "steak special, but can I substitute mashed potatoes for the baked potato, and substitute fruit for the salad, and substitute steamed vegetables for the broiled vegetables? Oh yeah, I want the steak halfway in between medium well and medium rare. Can you make sure they don't put lettuce on my plate as garnish? I hate the odor of wilted lettuce. And the bread - can I substitute whole wheat for white - it is organic, right? Can you make sure the bread doesn't have sesame seeds on it. And I'll need a new bottle of steak sauce - this one looks old. Oh, before you bring out that new bottle of A-1, can you microwave it slightly? It's chilly in here and I like my A-1 a little bit hotter than luke-warm, but not hot to the touch. But don't actually touch it to test it, use a thermometer. Thanks!" And then two minutes later - "Actually, I'm not that hungry. Can I just get a large house salad?". In other words, do you go above the 15-20% when making special requests that make the life of the waiter more difficult?

Is that a line from "When Harry Met Sally"?!? I wonder if people like that are even thinking about the waiter's motivation to comply with their order. I also wonder how many "all-natural ingredients" are added to orders like that by the kitchen staff.

If I wanted to eat like that I'd stay home and cook my own darn food. Or open my own restaurant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisdut A (somewhat arrogant) friend of mine used to rip a $10 or $20 bill in half and give it to the server when they arrived at the table. He would then tell them they would get the other half if the service was good....I thought the practice was a little brash but it always worked.

Sure hope so since he was out $10-20 no matter what happened. What was he going to do if the service sucked-- ask for the server to give their half of the bill back?

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldAgePensioner nm

OAP, what's up with all of these?

[OldAgePensioner]

Nords,
nm

[cute fuzzy bunny]

PWI
EFCL

[mickeyd]

I guess that this thread is about tips not TIPS.

My wife and I occasionally visit a nearby salad bar place. The cost is only about $6/each and neither of us drinks soda so we always just order water. After loading up the plates we take our seats and eventually a young waiter arrives and askes for our drink orders. "Two waters , please". The water arrives in a few minutes. "Thanks a lot" we say. This is the last time that we speak to the waiter.

There is no need for the waiter as they could easily place the drinks in the salad bar area and make it self service.

I only tip them $2 (a buck for each of us) since all they did was bring us 2 glasses of H2O. I suppose they also clear the table after we leave. I feel that I'm really tiping them for clearing the table and running a wet rag over the table.

Am I a cheap ass or should I be tipping $5 as my wife occasionally mentions?

[justin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyd Am I a cheap ass or should I be tipping $5 as my wife occasionally mentions?

Unless your wife's name is Melinda and you started a software company a couple decades ago, I think you are in the clear. $2 for 5 minutes of someone's time is a pretty good hourly rate.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

www.tipping.com along with a number of other 'proper etiquette' pages suggests 5-10% for a buffet, depending on the amount of work the server has to do, and 10-15% for a regular restaurant, with curiously 20% for "four star and above" restaurants.

5%-10% on a $6-8 buffet indicates that the $1 rule I use for these is in effect. But I dont know why I would increase a percentage for a 4-5 star restaurant when the bill is already well inflated to accommodate a decent 15%.

When I had money out the wazoo, I usually tipped 20%+. Waiting is a hard job and they frequently have to split tips with busboys and others in the restaurant.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute 'n' Fuzzy Bunny 5%-10% on a $6-8 buffet indicates that the $1 rule I use for these is in effect.* But I dont know why I would increase a percentage for a 4-5 star restaurant when the bill is already well inflated to accommodate a decent 15%. When I had money out the wazoo, I usually tipped 20%+.* Waiting is a hard job and they frequently have to split tips with busboys and others in the restaurant.

That 4-5 star price is "just" for the higher-quality food and the extensive chef training. (Gosh, I can't believe I got that out with a straight face.) The tip % probably reflects the much more extensive training & experience of the servers compared to, say, Chili's.

I object to fancy restaurants for their implied obligation to play dress-up. I don't enjoy eating in a place where I'm expected to wear a coat & tie, let alone pants, socks, & shoes. If I'm gonna get dressed up for a restaurant, it should be with a lobster bib or for tables covered in butcher paper & buckets of crabs.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Thats why I liked moving from the bay area to the sacramento area. "Dress up" for the couple of local decent high end restaurants turned into a polo shirt and clean jeans.

Up here in Yuba City, you're pretty well dressed up if you're wearing pants. And the oil stains are made by 10w30 or lower viscosity.

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute 'n' Fuzzy Bunny . . . Up here in Yuba City, you're pretty well dressed up if you're wearing pants.*. .

Local customs about dress vary significantly from place to place. In Boston, you're considered part a vagrant if you're tie is last year's style. In Yuba city, pants is a statement of dressed up. In unclemick's house, pants are an insurance policy against dog bites.

[Ibid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin You could put out a few $1 bills on the table (whatever is required to make 15%).* Then add or subtract as the meal progresses depending on the service received.* Let the waiter figure out when the pile gets to zero

I had that happen to me twice. *Both times I told the guy to put the money back in his pocket. *One actually asked why. *

You figure out what kind of service they received.


Anyone read waiterrant.net ?
Samantha

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kahless I had that happen to me twice. *Both times I told the guy to put the money back in his pocket. *One actually asked why. * You figure out what kind of service they received. Anyone read waiterrant.net ? Samantha

Should we be a little nervous about tip advice from someone whose poster name resembles the legendary Klingon warrior?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Heh. I thought that too and decided it was waaay too nerdy to make a comment...

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Quote:

A number of years ago I stopped giving money to beggars altogether and started tipping 25%+ every time instead. I often tip a lot more than that (sometimes around 100%), and it always depends on the quality of service. Those people need the money too, and they don't get sympathy or social assistance, and they're working their butts off and have to put up with a lot of jerks.

cool dood,

I do the same for the same reasons.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute 'n' Fuzzy Bunny Heh.* I thought that too and decided it was waaay too nerdy to make a comment...

Eh, thank goodness I on the scene!

I think the Geek Squad's jet pack is incredibly cool, too.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Who?

[Ibid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Should we be a little nervous about tip advice from someone whose poster name resembles the legendary Klingon warrior?

Should we be a little nervous about tip advice from someone whose poster name resembles the legendary Klingon warrior?
It's the dog's name.* It seemed a good idea at the time.
But he hasn't exactly lived up to it - maybe because he doesn't watch the show?

Samantha