Tipping question - Page 3

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@Nomorebirthdays wrote:
Our favorite restaurant is busy, wait staff have multiple tables, our bill averages 50$ for 2 people, 20% is 10.00. If she or he have 10 tables that's about 100 dollars an hour plus her wage. Of course not everyone leaves 20% and a breakfast server would get less. I heard Stewart Varney waited tables when he first came to this country and made over 60 thousand per year. And cash tips, do you think they declare all of it on their taxes. That said it's hard work.

I don't know of ANY restaurant that gives the wait staff a 10 table section.

Most only give them a 4 table section and even at that, there is no way they are turning tables fast enough to make $100 an hour in tips.

Sunnycorle · ‎03-09-2010

@LilacTree wrote:
@Sunnycorle wrote:
Tipping is part of eating out in resturants and has been forever! Its a great way for a student or young person to get their foot in the door of employment and to work while going to school. I waited tables thru College and learned alot about how to act socially. I paid my entire way thru College and if I didn't have a job like Waiting tables I would never been able to do it.
It also teaches you how to be good resturant patron.
@Sunnycorle
My three college grads (all magna c*m laude) all waited tables after class when they were in high school. That, with Pell Grants, some scholarships, and student loans got them through school. They were in their early 40s before the loans were paid off.

All of that would not have gotten them through one semester nowadays.

@LilacTree I graduated ****** laude while waiting tables thru college. It didn't pay for my eductation it paid my room and board and living expenses. I paid my student loans off at 35yrs of age.

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

Life's short and $15 an hour is not princely sum, I don't go through life nickel and diming stuff like that. If you think the tip is too high, step up and ask them to take the gratuity off and leave whatever you want to leave....or not leave. Which is another reason I would not nickel and dime the situation, I know there are of people who don't tip or under tip.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

If I weren't going to tip, I would stay home. We eat out daily, and the waitstaff are friends to us, as well. My husband is a generous tipper ,and we always get wonderful service

I'm not about to take money away from the people who can afford it the least. Our wait people only make minimum wage. They deserve every tip they earn

dex · ‎03-09-2010

@Nightowlz It might not be the best living wage but supposedly it isn't a career.My son makes almost 25 an hour and has a law degree.Young people are not paid as well as their parents in the corporate world at this time.My DH office hires a lot as contractors now so that they don't have to give benefits.my son says that he and his friends do cook outs at home to save money on entertainment.I think that is a healthier choice anyhow never mind saving the price of dining out.My point is that as the costs rise fewer people will be able to afford it.

dex · ‎03-09-2010

@cherry I had a friend who waitresses and made one hundred dollars in tips most night on her six hour shift and she said you could almost double that on holidays.She did mostly weekend work though.

viva923 · ‎03-12-2010

unless service has been really super bad

dh and i leave a 20% tip for all waiters/waiteresses. they work hard and we can see how hard they work. the little eating spot we normally go to, those gals give us great service.

we went out to eat last night (just a busy day for both of us). We got to talk with one of the bar lady/ waitresses and she had a free moment away from the bar. She was telling us that when she was just working as waitress, she rarely got tips. on friday-saturday night if she made $15.00 a night that was rich for her. now that she was working the bar, tips were more generous.

ECBG · ‎01-08-2011

We tip 15-25% here. We have some establishments that are known all over the country and we get all types of guests here.

I always over tip for great service, but I don't if they never come back to check our drinks.

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

@dex wrote:
@Nightowlz It might not be the best living wage but supposedly it isn't a career.My son makes almost 25 an hour and has a law degree.Young people are not paid as well as their parents in the corporate world at this time.My DH office hires a lot as contractors now so that they don't have to give benefits.my son says that he and his friends do cook outs at home to save money on entertainment.I think that is a healthier choice anyhow never mind saving the price of dining out.My point is that as the costs rise fewer people will be able to afford it.

@dex For a lot of people it is their Career. That's the problem. There are plenty of people out there without a college degree that have a family trying to make ends meet. You cannot make ends meet on that wage. I just don't think people realize all the people working not making enough money to sustain.

I would hope if your son has a law degree he would make more then $25 per hr. DH makes a lot more then that per hr & has no degree.

Kardi · ‎05-20-2010

I'm not sure about how it works everywhere, but my understanding has been that waitstaff makes much less than minimum wage and tips make up a large part of their earnings. There is a set percentage of the total bill they are taxed on and any tip money over and above that amount is free and clear. In other words, if a patrons bill is $50, the restaurant must report to the government that say, 7% of that $50 was given to the server as a tip. That would be reported income in addition to wages that would be reported to the government. If the server was given a 20% tip, the remaining 13% is free and clear. It has been my experience that many waiters and waitresses are pretty happy with that arrangement if they work in an establishment where they make good tips. That has been a sweet deal for restaurants as well. As a small business owner, not a restaurant, I can't pay less than minimum wage. If $15 becomes minimum wage for everyone, including waitstaff, I agree that tipping should be done away with unless a patron finds the service so outstanding they just want to give money away. However, that should then extend to ANY service.