Another big factor that comes into play is the preparation of the food itself. I think we have to assume that the waiter/waitress doesn't keep the entire tip for themselves but rather at least partially shares it with the cooking staff. IMO if the meal is prepared correctly, served hot, tastes good and the wait staff does their job correctly then they earn the entire tip. But if the meal sits for several minutes before it's brought to me and isn't as hot as I think it should be then there's a deduction. If I have to turn it back because it's not prepared correctly (this happens a lot when I order eggs 'over medium' and they are served with the whites still runny) then there's another deduction. If while I'm waiting for my meal I see that the table wasn't cleaned properly before I was seated, then there's another.
I'm not trying to bring the tip amount down, but I have certain standards that must be met before I lay extra money on the table. In that light, let's just remember what tips stands for: To Insure Proper Service.
I'm a waiter at Red Robin. I take tables for a living right now. Your tip is how I put food in my stomach and a roof over my head. I pay rent, cell phone, fuel for the car, grocery, electric, cable/Internet, water, and Netflix with your tip money. I make 3.63 an hour, and I share my tips. I tip out 1% of my TOTAL SALES (and that's tax included, and before any promo'd or free food) to the busser, 1% to the expo, and 1.5% to my bartender.
I share 3.5 % of every ticket to my support guys. Even if I don't have a drink from the bar that evening, I'm tipping out. Keep that in mind guys. If I run 500 dollars at th evenings end, I give 5 to busser, 5 to the expo, and 8 to the bartender (they round up, dirtbags) so if I make 10% on the evening, I made 50 dollars, then after tipout I only make 32. On 500 sales!? It's ludicrous. I have bills. I bust my arse to give you great service. I always have your drink filled, only call you sir or ma'am. Your food gets there on time. I CANNOT control the taste, you ordered it, you eat it, sorry if you don't like it, I'll get a manager to take it off your ticket, And I'll tip out on it anyways.
Ask your waiter's opinion on the food if you dont know weither or not you'll like it. Anyways you should always tip 15% unless you just had horrible service. I always do 20-30% I look for 20%. If I walk out with 20% on the evening I'm happy. Let's go back to the 500 dollar of sales an evening. If I sell 500, and make 10% all evening, after tipout at 3.5% at $18, I walk with $32. If you pony up the extra $2 or $3 (it's just $2-$3, for good service though, duh) and I make 20% all evening, I make $100 and tipout $18, I'll walk with 82, see how big of a difference that is? that's money that pays the bills. 20% will make your waiter happy. And I remember bad tippers, we talk to each other, we show each other their faces and next time they come in we know. Nobody wants to help you, no one wants to go out of they're way to make you feel comfortable. We don't work for free.
Also keep in mind how many other tables your waiter/ess has. And how close you were sat with someone else (double/triple seating). That's tough.
And also, if your the person who says "can we sit somewhere else", remember, theyre probably seating you there for a reason. It's for your best service. If you want to sit in someone else's section, keep in mind they're not expecting a table at that moment. So please be mindful of that.
I complain every day of poor tippers, and I thank several great tippers. Some people just don't tip. Of course it's all a matter of opinion how MUCH you should leave. But ALWAYS leave at least 10%. Cause if you leave nothing, we lose money. We have to pay for you. Don't be an arse.
Rant off.
then she might get a 10.
