Are you frugal or are you stingy?

[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?

 

[MasterBlaster]

The way I look at tipping...

When I go to work I expect to get paid. In fact I expect to get paid everytime I go in to work.

I look at tipping as the same. It's just part of the price to eat there. People that serve me expect to get paid for the job that they do. So unless the service is a total disaster I'll leave a tip which is usually 15% or better.

Since we eat out quite a bit, I don't want crappy service the next time I go in to one of our favorite places.Therfore  I just better tip. It's part of the price to eat out. I'm not going into some long rationalization about how steakhoses get better tips than the pancake house. It's just part of the price to eat out. If you can't afford a $10 tip on a $50 meal then don't go there.

If the food is crappy and the tables are crappy and I can hear music from two places I vote with my feet. I just never go back.

 

[sgeeeee]

The way I look at tipping...

When I go to work I expect to get paid. In fact I expect to get paid everytime I go in to work.

I look at tipping as the same. . . .

Do you work for tips? Or do you charge a set rate for your work -- a rate that is understood up front by your customer or employer?

I tip because we have this stupid system that makes servers dependent on tipping. But it doesn't keep me from thinking it's a stupid and inefficient system.

I think the way different people view tipping has a lot to do with differences in the way they veiw dining out. A lot of people view dining out as a social event and entertainment. They like to tell stories to their friends about the great new restaurant they went to and what they ordered, etc. Service and tipping is part of the experience and they think everyone should be supportive of their experience.

Other people would just as soon go back to the kitchen and get their own food rather than wait for some server to put it on their table and try to engage in meaningless small talk. They came to the restaurant to eat, not to support phony smiling, small talking servers through an unofficial economy. Why are they forced to participate in this charade? They would gladly pay an extra 15% for their food if they could just get good food delivered to their table efficiently.

Although I've come to accept my social obligation to support servers at restaurants and bars through my 15% to 20% tip, I still recoil at hotels when they try to take my bags to the room. I don't want that service. I am perfectly capable of carrying my bag and I can find my room. I don't even want someone else handling my stuff, so I sure don't want to be forced to pay them a tip for that.

And don't get me started on valet parking. . . .

 

[bruce1]

I will normally tip 15%, less in buffet style restaurants. I beleive, however that Restaurants should pay their staff a living wage and tips should be reserved for service above and beyond that required.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

nm

 

[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.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

nm

 

[Andre1969]

Also, don't forget about the Fumunda Cheese topping, which goes great with Italian dishes, salads, etc. That's "Fumunda". As in "fumunda da nuts"

 

[Cool Dood]

Thanks guys for ruining my enjoyment of diners for the next five to ten years......

 

[REWahoo]

Never, never be so STUPID as to pre-piss anyone in a diner. NEVER you idiot.

Hmmmm. OAP ol' buddy, I think ya might need to up your doseage just a smidgen.

 

[chrisdut]

He was arrogant but not entirely stupid...by giving them half of the bill when they arrived, they knew the other half was no good to him.  I only saw him do it twice.  Both times we were just drinking a few beers and he was very explicit that "good service" simply meant to make sure he did not have an empty bottle in front of him.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I had a couple of friends who worked as cooks in a couple of moderate to high fahlutin restaurants.

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.

Although the most hilarious moment had to be the time when I was working at macdonalds as a child, and a guy came in at peak lunch rush and ordered a big mac, extra well done, with extra lettuce. I didnt do the grill work, but I believe he got a pair of hockey pucks about 1/32" thick, providing he could find them amidst the lettuce. The guy cooking them put the 'sear' tool on them and leaned on them for a full 3 minutes.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

bunny, we had a lot of that kinda thing. A guy told us once, "don't give me soemthing already cooked". The cook made a big deal of saying, " yes, Sir."

Ouch, I hope that customer liked bacteria.

chrisdut,
I'm sure he never had a bottle in front of him with something other than beer.

 

[chrisdut]

Believe it or not the two times I was with him the servers thought it was kind of funny and not a bad idea...they knew going in that they were getting a good tip simply by making sure we did not run out of beer. I never had the guts to try a stunt like that though.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

we asked for the non-smoking section (when they had those), the hostess sat us at a table with an ashtray. i said, "but we asked you for the non-smoking section." she replied, "well no one's smoking now."

i generally tip 15% for decent service and 20%+ for excellent service or if the waiter's really cute & flirts with me. we've just had dinner, the night is young and i might run into him later at the clubs.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

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]

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]

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.

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?

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]

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.