I eat out with a friend (lunch late usually) at least 4 to 5 times a week (widow, don't cook). I think I'm pretty qualified to answer some of these questions.
I usually end up talking with our waiters. Many of them are single mothers. I always tip AT LEAST 20% because I know they only make $2.15.
I greatly resent the fact that I'm made to feel like I am responsible for this person's salary. Can you imagine the profit made by the restaurant?
I can say (my opinion and that of my friend I eat with) that (should the hourly rate go to $15) I doubt that we'd tip at all and if we did it would be the minimum tip. We don't tip other's who make that amount of money hourly, do we?
We know the places where the servers are terrible, we know who to ask to sit near and so on. Believe me, it makes a difference.
Some servers are very professional, other's not so much. The other day a server acted like he recognized me (this happens so often it's a joke with people who REALLY know me). I smiled and said, "Hello". I was with my friend whom I eat with. He (the server delivered our food). No problem. But as the meal went on he suddenly pulled up a chair (we were in a booth) and sat and talked with us the entire rest of the meal! I had no idea who the heck this guy was. He over-stepped, to say the least!
We kept saying, "Better let you go to take care of your other tables". He ignored us. I didn't want to hurt his feelings so I wasn't rude.
I can be very 'matter of fact' at times, but I held my temper...
I could write a book on the people we've encountered eating out so often (this is about tipping and restaurants). There have been times when we've left less than 20% but it is rare because usually the service is fair to excellent. (It's not brain surgery to deliver the food).
Due to the economy these days people who once served tables to get extra money now find themselves doing it for a living. Some realize the importance of good service, other's EXPECT a good tip no matter how THEIR service toward us is....
It's a touch situation because we eat out so often we frequent the same places often. This makes us less likely to (sometimes) pay the tip amount we feel like they should get (no spitting in our food).
To summarize. There is no way I would put 20% tip on a bill if I knew the waiter was receiving $15 an hour. I might tip a few dollars, but not much. Why?
Here's why!! That restaurant would have to make up the difference of paying them that amount by raising the cost of the food. The cost of the food would go up sharply. I'd consider that the amount I'd normally tip the waiter. It's not my fault he/she is now getting more money. Obviously, a restaurant isn't going to absorb the increase in paying them, why should I?
This is different but I feel like I have to say it...Because we eat out so much most of our waiters are females. As I said an enormous number of them are single mothers. This is true especially since we eat lunch meals. That means these mothers are working while their children are in school so they can be home when the child gets out of school, saving child care.
If women's groups want to help females, I believe they should work toward making child care more affordable; but more than anything they should lobby lawmakers to make it a LAW that these deadbeat Dad's pay their child support. More than that, enforce that if they don't pay their child support, they will have money taken from their paychecks every week and immediately sent to the ex-wife for their child. It's not for the ex-wife, it's for the child. The stories we hear about the ex-husband buying new trucks, taking girlfriends out to dinner and trips, meanwhile giving the ex-wife (for the child) $200 a month, or even less is unbelievable.
I'll go sit down now...
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