Bill paying etiquette

I NEED TO ADD MY 2CENTS! SINCE I WORK WITH FOOD, WHEN I GO OUT TO EAT, IM PICKY (THE WIFE WILL VOUCH FOR THAT)FOR ME SERVICE CAN REALLY SUCK ANYWHERE, IF THE FOOD MAKES ME COME BACK I USUALLY DO 20% AND ALWAYS TIP THE INDIVIDUAL WHO PREPARED MY ENTREE

I do agree with David Jones (prep cook). If the wait person is terrible but the busboy is very attentive I have been known to tip (or even overtip) him or her. I just don't get it when the service is terrible... don't these people get it? The below minimum wage one makes as a tipped employee is not enough to pay the bills, much less have a leisurely life. The money my waitstaff makes in gratuities.. is luxury money. I, often, regret giving it up!

[BevReview Steve]

Tipping the busboy... never heard of doing that...

[lobster]

An excellent discussion topic. I use CC (95% of time, unless I've planned ahead and brought enough $). I use the 15% 'rule', but also use the 0% tip for poor/unacceptable service or 'attitudes'. Conversely, I tip proportionately higher for exceptional service, and always politely tell people why the tip is low or high; they deserve constructive feedback, both bad and good.
As a consumer I must mention that the 'arguement' for a minimum tip % (i.e., never 0%) because servers are paid an inadequte 'minimum wage' by employers doesn't sit well with me. Using 'guilt' to force 'mandatory' tips doesn't work with me; tips should be for exceptional efforts, not basic living expenses that employers fail to cover.
I'm interested to know if anyone out there can explain the 'ritual' whereby the 'normal tip %' is determined/raised??.

[David Jones]

I don't totally disagree with lobster. The restaurant industry is notoriously backward in the area of human resource management. I just wonder if the consumer is ready to see a 30-50% increase in every single menu price, from lobster to a cup of coffee, so that service staff can be paid competetively. Trotter's here in Chicago pays there service staff a salary based upon their experience and ability, but the check average is $125+ per person.

The immediate gratification of a wad of cash is what attracts most service staff to the job, not the benefits, consistency, working conditions or job satisfaction. It's the actuarial likelihood of a big money night that evens out for the other negatives of the job, hopefully enough to incentivise an employee to show up on a regular basis. In a job market where GenX'ers have "quality of life issues" at age 21, I shudder to think what would happen to the general quality of service if there was no tipping.

Well, I can speak to that: when I was in Australia last summer, where tipping is not expected and quite uncommon, the service was mediocre across the board. Even at the nicest and most expensive restaurants we got service that ranged from lackluster to downright horrible. It really proved to me just how important the tradition of tipping is. Though you'd like to think that if servers were paid better with no tips they would continue to perform their jobs as well, I learned firsthand how unrealistic that is.

As for me, I ALWAYS tip 20%. If the service was bad, I go back to the kitchen and hand the tip to the cooks instead. I know the server will hear about it and get the message!

Kathleen

[kpollard_2000]

I always tip on the basis of service, and have no problem tipping more for great service or a nickel for poor service to get my point across. I do have a problem when the tip is included on larger parties and the service is horrible. What do you do then? My sisters and I took our neices out for lunch. We're talking about 12 guests. The orders were takin, maybe 3 at a time. Drinks came a few at a time. and same with the meals. It was mid-afternoon and obviously an inconvenience. When we complained, the (several) waitresses were clueless. We were there for nearly 3 hours. Being a former server I usually take a lot before I complain. So what do you do in this instance when there should have been a very small tip and it's already included.

[nutcakes]

You don't complain to the servers, you find the manager. All will be taken care of, if you find the right person. Most places will want to take care of thing right.

[Nick.Shu]

it is probably a clash of cultures, but in Australia tipping is the exception with no given service percentages. I do remember in Maui that my wife and myself's wait person dropped the cutlery and were interrupted constantly by that person apologising for dropping the cutlery.

Perhaps my service expectations are lower than some, but on any given day i prefer a more subtle or discreet approach to service rather than an in your face approach.

Given that, there is a very fine line between attentive, professional and discreet service and those who know how to provide it will be richly rewarded. As much as cooking entails a professional and passionate approach, the same applies to our friends in the FOH.

[Pete]

Personally, I think, in the long run, service would improve if we got rid of the tipping system. If we where to stop tipping and start creating salaried positions, where raises were given on merit and experience, we would do away with the post-college, "I'm just doing this until I find a real job" mentality. I truely believe that we would create service professionals again. People who devote their lives to service just as we chefs devote our lives to the food. I know too many waiters who could give a rat's a** about this job and yet they pull down more a year than I do. What other field do you know of where people (even inexperienced people) can make $50,000+ a year working 6-8 hrs a day?
Unfortunately, that would mean having to raise our costs, which I don't think the customers would take to lightly.

[Jim]

I, too, will go well above the 20% rule, and go as far as matching the check when the service has been exceptional.
At a recent meal, I had invited several friends (and their children) to join us for lunch (and our children). Needless to say, with 10 adults and 7 kids, it was a real fun time for the waiter. But, he was a sport! When the kids spilled drinks, he was right there with refills, stickers & pre-meal 'snacks'. The works. He brought their food out early and even re-plated a few dishes that were too hot for small children. I left him 80% of the check and wrote a letter to the restaurant. I got a call the day they received the letter and told me that they had awarded this particular waiter a 'bonus' and thanked me for taking the time to write. As a member of the trade, I certainly appreciate when someone takes the time to thank me for a particualarly good meal, so I recipricate whenever possible. However, if the service is poor, so is the tip. If it is poor enough, so is the letter. After all, you are purchasing a meal; a meal being the food, the atmosphere, the service, the cleanliness, the whole package. If the package is defective, it needs to be discussed and repaired.