Tipping is not a city in China
Yesterday I was going to post about tipping. I was at work and the tips were on the level of ... meager, and I was very upset. I mean upset that by the seventh or eight time I went into my car and screamed obscenities. And then I laughed at myself and said "that doesn't help." And you know, I was right.
But still, here's the deal. And before I begin I want you to know that this isn't about me, or about whatever job you might or might not do. It is about all servers.
If you are being served by someone, no matter how terrible the service is, unless they are deliberately trying to ruin your meal or evening or whatever, you must tip them at least something. And change is not something. the 47 cents of change from your $19.53 meal is not considered a tip and no one will feel grateful when you say "keep the change" on that one. Instead they will feel bitter. Or at least I will.
But more importantly, I really feel that if your meal has been adequate, acceptable, nothing terribly wrong with it, you need to give at least 15% and preferably 20%. If the service has been exceptional, and you remark outloud about how great your server has been, the tip must be at least 20% and preferably 30%. This is not because the server "needs" money or anything like that. It is about you, about your generosity and thankfulness. And it will be very appreciated. I promise.
And I know talking about money sucks and I am a bastard, and I know I am biased, but if I could get 5% if it meant that all the other servers got what they earned, then so be it. As I have written, let it be known. I stand in witness of my own foolish desires.
And soon we will speak of more interesting things.
But still, here's the deal. And before I begin I want you to know that this isn't about me, or about whatever job you might or might not do. It is about all servers.
If you are being served by someone, no matter how terrible the service is, unless they are deliberately trying to ruin your meal or evening or whatever, you must tip them at least something. And change is not something. the 47 cents of change from your $19.53 meal is not considered a tip and no one will feel grateful when you say "keep the change" on that one. Instead they will feel bitter. Or at least I will.
But more importantly, I really feel that if your meal has been adequate, acceptable, nothing terribly wrong with it, you need to give at least 15% and preferably 20%. If the service has been exceptional, and you remark outloud about how great your server has been, the tip must be at least 20% and preferably 30%. This is not because the server "needs" money or anything like that. It is about you, about your generosity and thankfulness. And it will be very appreciated. I promise.
And I know talking about money sucks and I am a bastard, and I know I am biased, but if I could get 5% if it meant that all the other servers got what they earned, then so be it. As I have written, let it be known. I stand in witness of my own foolish desires.
And soon we will speak of more interesting things.
posted by Monsterbeard @ 1:47 PM
11 Comments:
At 9:53 PM, April 26, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Chris...What up? I found you even though you weren't hiding. So I think about the event of tipping from time to time and I am still confused about what to do. On one hand I think many (not all, but many) servers expect at LEAST 15, sometimes 20%, no matter what kind of service they provide. The point of tipping is to reward quality.
On the other hand, less than 5% is an insult and less than 10% is pretty bad. I am torn sometimes because I get bad servers, but I want to give a big tip because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So giving even the most underserving server a tip is like demonstrating God's love I guess.
All I can say is I am glad I cook my own food and don't eat out much. This way I don't have to worry about it.
Keep you chin up. I would give you a big tip if you served me here in NC.
Love you dude
At 10:28 AM, April 27, 2005,
Sweet T said…
Sometimes I think tipping should happen because people working in serving jobs aren't being paid what they should...
Sometimes I think tipping big when it was poor service is a lesson to the server or what Brian said since it sounds nicer ...
Sometimes I think someone bringing you anything means they deserve a tip...
Almost never do I tip to reward quality...
Mostly I agree with you... I wish that everyone tipped like you.
At 12:25 PM, April 27, 2005,
shorttallnotatall said…
today my horoscope said: do not argue about religion or politics. never one to pay attention to such hooey, i'd like to say: i think we are all sensitive to the food service industry because we're all young, and most of us have had some position there at some time or another. i also think it is pretty crummy to leave anything less than 10%.
with that said, i don't quite understand why being a server (and i'm only talking about being a server here, not delivery or coffee shops, both of which i think the tipping should be a given) is some sort of noble profession, deserving of a higher respect than others. being a server is not some sort of position, it's a job. just like cop or teacher or cashier. the way serving is set up is they get paid shit per hour--with the idea that if they are performing well, then their tables will get tips (and come back to the restaurant, hopefully, to spend more money) and their income will be supplemented.
of course, the breakdown in this system comes when people are jerks and don't tip if you're doing an adequate or good job, sure. but i don't think the opposite should be true, where you are tipped (whether more or less) to be taught some sort of lesson. i'm not saying this is a good system or not, i'm just saying that serving someone at a table, at a restaurant, is a job. and if you do a good job, then you should get a good tip. if you do a shitty job, you shouldn't complain about getting a shitty tip--sure, it's amazing to demonstrate giving and kindness and God's love through your tip, but that's still a choice and freedom you have as a customer. and we're getting dangerously close to the argument about religion, so let's leave it at that, for now.
At 12:28 PM, April 27, 2005,
shorttallnotatall said…
also, chris, i'm not saying you do a shitty job or are complaining about it--and i'm not devaluing what you or talya or brian are saying, because i think you guys have some good points. just so you know.
At 9:37 PM, April 27, 2005,
Class of 2000 officers said…
all i know is that i get ultra-pissy when our tips are anything less than $2.50 an hour at Starbucks. this is mostly because our customers are really rich and i want to get my grubby, coffee-stained hands on their green.
but when i think about it, getting paid $10 an hour to make Frapaccinos is really a lot. As far as fast food is concerned. and can you imagine that kind of wage in another country?
I just said i get pissy, people. i didn't say it was okay.
Chris, when Seth delivered pizza, he got a lot of tip offers in the form of weed. Maybe you should just start smoking joints.
At 3:31 PM, April 28, 2005,
Sweet T said…
my roommate Amy sometimes doesn't get tips because her customers are poor... doesn't that suck.
yeah Lyndsey... that's a good day for me... very very good.
I hope you all know I didn't mean lesson... I meant a better word... but what I was referring to is that servers know when they give bad service and they also know when you are over-tipping despite it... and they are left a little more grateful... that's what I meant.
I think the point isn't complaining when you get a bad tip or knowing you served poorly... other jobs don't get a cut out of their wages when they are having a bad day or make a mistake... it's a tough world and we all know that there are some ways to show people love with our over abundance of money (and yes if you live here in the US you do have an abundance...don't sigh it's true).
At 5:03 PM, April 28, 2005,
Anonymous said…
I like tips. Also, I kind of wish I had a blogger blog just so a little picture would show up when I comment. That's what I really wanted to say.
At 2:56 PM, May 03, 2005,
Class of 2000 officers said…
freaking
update
chris.
At 3:12 AM, May 06, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Today I had the unpleasant experience of exceptionally poor service, and so as a punishment I left a $2 tip on a bill of $15.50. That's right, 13 percent, and I don't feel guilty at all. I hope she learned her lesson.
On the other hand, it's never a good idea to be rude to people who have your credit card information. I learned that one the hard way. And by "the hard way," I mean not by having anything stolen, but by using my imagination.
At 8:34 PM, May 06, 2005,
Seth said…
What happened to 10-15% being the standard? Has there been some kind of "tip inflation" that I'm not aware of? I usually aim for 15, and often go over if it means I'd have to scrounge up change not to (it's just easier to leave two dollar bills than a dollar and a couple of quarters--who carries change anymore?), but I will likewise come in under 15 for the same reason. I always leave some kind of tip if I'm at a sit down restaurant and someone has to take my order, a little less if I order up front and they just have to bring it to me. I never tip at Starbucks, though. They charge $3 for a cup of coffee and then expect a tip? Who do I look like, Bill Gates? $10 bucks an hour is a lot to make frappuchinos--I made $5.25 when I worked at Burger King and I never got tipped, even when I made a really great-tasting Whopper.
At 10:08 PM, May 20, 2005,
paul said…
People who have worked as a server usually tip more. I think tipping well is pretty important...
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