To Tip or Not to Tip?

I agree with the writer who said that tipping is an option, not an obligation. I'll go one step further and remind wait staff that tips are given for GOOD SERVICE. So, if you don't give good service, then you don't deserve a good tip. Wait staff need to keep this in mind.

While most wait staff I have dealt with are cognizant of this fact, some seem to be under the impression that diners (their CUSTOMERS, remember) MUST leave a tip! Some restaurants do add 15% (or more) to the bill automatically, but most restaurants don't. So, if you depend on tips, then do your best to give good service.

Expanding on this a bit, there are two points I'd like to make:

1) Diners should not penalize wait staff for things that are out of their control, including bad food. That's the cooking staff's fault, not the wait staff's. Tips should be based on service given my your waiter/waitress, and only on things that he/she can control.

2) Restaurants that automatically add 15% or more to the bill (which should be illegal as far as I'm concerned), do nothing to promote good service by their wait staff. It amounts to forced tipping. If a waiter/waitress is guaranteed a 15% tip, what incentive is there for him/her to give good service? None. I, personally, refuse to return to any restaurant that forces tipping on its customers.

I love this topic and discuss it regularly with the female members of my family. Everytime we go out to a restaurant together, someone never fails to complain about the service or prices.
I get embarrassed when one of the more vocal (rude) know-it-alls, asks for the manager and creates a scene reserved for reality television. Having worked as a waitress in a members only country club, I experienced rude customers who complained for no other reason than to get attention from anyone willing to listen to their horror story. Most of the members were patient when the room filled up and the bartenders were swamped with mixed drink orders.
I always had first priority service from the bartenders, because at the end of the night, when the waitresses had to tip them, I paid more than the required % of the money I earned.
This made me a very popular waitress with the wealthy members who always asked the hostess on duty to be seated in my section.

A certain millionaire liked me so much, eventually I became his girlfriend. Believe me, I wouldn't have looked twice at him if he didn't tip well and treat me with respect. This relationship lasted until his death. A good tipper is a sign of refinement and intelligence.

First of all M. Trump, I can't imaging anyone giving you a bad service!
A tip should reflect the appreciation of the service you received.When waiters are rude, don't actually know what they are doing and let you wait for ever, even on your bill, they just don't deserve a tip. And we better inform the managment. They should be informed about the performance of their waiters because, besides the food, service is the restaurant's most important marketing tool.
www.fineinternationalhomes.com

Saturday night, I was at a dinner party with a group of 10 people. Our waitress was friendly when she took the order, but after we ordered everything changed and we hardly had service from her. Near the end of the meal, I scanned the room for her and saw that she was in a corner visibly crying and upset. I put pieces together and it appeared that her boyfriend had come into the restaurant and broken up with her right then while she was working.

I decided to leave a tip that was greater than the cost of the meal The service had been obviously less than expected. But I felt maybe the kindness might help the girl have a little better night in some small way.

You might have a bad waiter on one occasion, but you never know what that person might be going through. It's not an excuse for poor service, but it's something to consider before you think about stiffing the waiter.

I suggest if the service is not up to par leave 10%.This will make the waiter or waitress remember you next time.If the service is better ,leave 15% or more.Rember,ever-body has bad days.Peter Mrakic.-http:www.lucky8goldmine.com

I know a friend who has a boss mentality, he was a big tipper.

anyway, one day he was bankrupt, he lost everything at Las Vegas. then, he live with at his sister's house, and as a good sister, she gave him some money to spend. but one thing that never change, he still a big tipper, no matter how we mock him, he always left a huge tips, he also treat many colleagues and all of his new friends by using his very limited money.

after a few years, he was back to his normal condition. he was rich and he got this fortune from one of his new friend that treat by him.

What do you think Donald ? is it important to have a boss mentality ? is it good to overspend a money like him ?

I really want to know your opinion as a Billionaire in this situation.

Sincerely

William Yang

To us, what was the purpose of a tip? Doing a great job... doing a great service of some sort. Maybe even putting a smile on our table. Some do, and some dont.

That is why we differ on the percentages...of the tips.

I think that people should tip according to the service given (to incl. food prep. & presentation, as well - it's a team effort), not because they feel that they HAVE to. There are so many waiters who are rude and insolent, but because they have made a career of waiting tables (since they haven't gotten that acting/singing or any other gig that eludes them), they feel that they are entitled. As a waiter, a good rule of thumb is to treat customers the way that you would like to be treated when you are dining out. Pretty simple.
When the kitchen messes up an order, or, is exceptionally slow in getting the food out, often it is the server who suffers because it is reflected in the tip. If the waiter doesn't get along with the kitchen, oftentimes, the kitchen will do things to sabatoge the waiter, in hopes that the waiter will quit or be fired. Politics plays a part in every business.
People are not shy, especially in NYC, about leaving bad tips when they have had a bad experience. NYC diners are incredibly tough - they expect excellence, and they should get it - considering the amount of money that they pay for food.
People often feel sorry for waiters because they make such a pitiful hourly wage, so they tip well, even when the service is poor. But, some establishments pay above the standard hourly wage, and the wait staff makes incredible tips, as well. The problem with this practice is that the waiters become complacent because they know that they have their hourly wage to fall back on.
And, the absolute worst scenario - often practiced, but, highly illegal (if it isn't, it should be), is when an establishment automatically factors in a 15-20% tip (understandable for large parties) because the customers are foreign and foreigners are known to tip less. And, to add insult to injury, the waiter doesn't point that out on the bill - so, the foreigners wind up tipping on top of the automatic tip - Double Dipping Tipping! Some places add an automatic tip to the bill because of the time of day, and their poor servers aren't getting enough business. At the very least, there should be a warning on the menu - but, often, there is not. Again, what is the incentive to give good service if you know you're going to automatically make 20%? I can see where this might be standard for extremely upscale restaurants with incredible food - where the establishment is known for their seamless service, as well - and the tips are pooled, but, not for every restaurant. It's a scam.
As for you, Mr. Trump, I would imagine that any waiter in the world would bend over backward to give you great service. And, if for some reason they don't, even YOU, should not feel obligated to tip well for crappy service. People shouldn't expect for money to be thrown at them, just because the customer has more money than God. They should still work for it. If they don't like it - they can find another job, or, start their own business.

There are a lot of great servers out there, also.

This is toooo funny! In the first place, I can't imagine anyone giving YOU bad service. I think it's just human nature to fawn over the rich and famous. You see it on The Apprentice (at least the non-celebrity version, some of those celebrity's feel confident enough about their own status not to be star stuck by you). You even see it in this BLOG! You can bet if I was your waitress, I would try to be the best that I could be, hoping for a good tip, and maybe a smile to remember to boot. Opportunities like that are pretty rare for the average person. It does make me sick to see people go overboard on that scale though. I've seen people be overbearing, intrusive and even flirt with people they think they can impress. Not very classy, and it will get you nowhere in the end.

So lets pretend for a minute that you really did get a clueless person who gave you terrible service. You leave them a good tip because you don't want to be in the negative section in tomorrows newspaper. But that doesn't stop you from mentioning it to his or her manager, depending on the situation. I've seen waiters that were just so overhwhelmed because they were shorthanded, that they just can't deliver the service you deserve. But rude is out of the question. Go directly to manager, do not pass go, do not leave anything beyond the call of duty.

I believe that under the conditions that the tip would go soley into the pocket of the waiter who had the bas service, then he should not have recieved any tip. But considering that most restaurants divide the tips with the staff, then it would be fine to tip. But when a waiter is unpleasant, they don't really deserve to be tipped. A tip is a sort of "thank you" that are ment to go to pleasant waiters to thank them for their help and pleasantness. Giving a tip to an unpleasant waiter sort of defeats that pupose.

After reading the other comments, I would like to clarify - true, diners should not punish or blame the waiter for bad food, if the waiter still gives good service. It is amazing how many people do hold the waiter accountable for everything. There is so much competition out there and so many great, professional chefs & kitchen help today, that restaurants cannot afford to put out bad food. Word travels fast. The front and back of the house have to be in sync, and consistent. A happy kitchen makes for a happy experience for everyone. But, sometimes it gets pretty heated up in the kitchen and, as a waiter, your best bet is to listen & stay out of the way of flying vegetables.
If the wait staff is yelled at by the kitchen, then, yelled at by the customer... it can make a person nuts. Or, if you are professional, you don't take it personally (honestly, it's food, not the end of the world), assess the situation, get a manager involved, when necessary, and keep moving.
Someone mentioned that his friend always tips well, no matter what. I do that, as well, when the service is good. Having been a server, it was impressive when a well-known person would leave a heftier than usual tip. A lot of actors were once waiters, so they don't forget where they once were. And, others are just generous because they understand that it is good P.R....and, they are just nice people with a lot of money. It was always baffling when I knew that I gave 110%, and the guy with the black AMEX left 10% or less. As if, to say, "I'm rich because I don't give all of my money away." What's another 10%, when you know that you can afford it? - and it will certainly make that grateful waiter's day. When the service sucks, though, forget it... waiters should not be rewarded for bad behavior.
Funny enough, some NY'ers actually like waiters with an attitude. They actually prefer rudeness over nice. You can't please everyone the same. Just do the job.
There really are some people whose main goal in life is to try to make other people as miserable as they are. They are professional complainers... they do make a living complaining - literally. At the very least, they get free food and/or drinks because they are so obnoxious & they think that they are so clever. They have no shame, and could care less about the wait staff. They are selfish and complain until they get free stuff because they know that they can. How embarrassing! These people should have their photos taken & passed to restaurants, so that mgmt. will not give them everything, just because they are whiners. They actually brag to their friends about their "free dinners" and everyone laughs and thinks it's a big, funny joke. It's so tacky. If they only knew how "not funny" they are. I hear that these complainers also do the same with clothing & other items... we need to weed these people out - imagine what an impact too much of that abusive behavior has on the economy! Sorry, the customer is not always right.

I learned a long time ago that tip stood for "to insure promptness." And I agree with Donald that tipping is a personal choice, but try to do it if the service was anything above horrible.
That said, I like to insure the free circulation of money in my life, and tipping as generously as I can affirms to the universe that there'll be plenty more. And it's my way of blessing myself, because if you don't freely give, I feel on some level, it's going to be taken anyway, and for more than you would have liked.

My, My...such perfect paying customers. How is it they can see the weakness in the waitstaff but not in their own homes and businesses. If employers were paid by the tipping method I wonder how many of them would still be in business? How many spouses would earn a 15% tip for serving frozen meals thawed and served in an atmosphere that is less than relaxing and enjoyable by everyone sitting at the table? Don't forget holidays where the hostess/host often looks like a stressed out amateur.

My motto has been, "We don't live in a perfect world." It's nice to see positive change.

Mr. Trump,

I've heard that you tip generously at hotels to "show off" to the hotel staff, so as to get them to "watch your back," as you put it.... not a bad idea if you're swimming in cash, wouldn't you say, lol. It's been my experience over the years that you'll run into certain types of service workers that will try to exploit the situation to their advantage.. perhaps make you feel guilty for a small tip and such, but a worker should never demand a tip.

My personal style is to tip if I've asked my worker to fulfill a special request for me and they do it.. for example, if I hire a car and driver to take me to an important meeting, like a trump event, lol, I'll say to my driver, "can you get around the traffic, I'm in a hurry;" my philosophy is, if someone watches your back, you need to watch his, by tipping him; and even though I subscribe to your business philosophy of frugality, Mr. Trump, it's important to do, even if it is just to keep on the worker's "good side"... you never know if they'll send the same driver to you twice.

D.L.

Intent is 90% in my world. Are there waiters out there intentionally dishing out terrible service? I don't think so. Mostly, it might be that the restaurant is busy and short-handed. Or maybe the waiter is having a bad day.

I agree with Mr. Trump but on different grounds. If the service was lousy but the food good, I would try the restaurant again. Generally, the three-strikes rule I abide by so if the service was terrible the third time I would still give the minimum of 15% (I always tip 20-30%) but would go elsewhere next time.

I'm from Romania, that is in Eastern Europe... many of you may not heard about this country.. here tipping is not an obligation. I'm personally very sever, i really think that the waiter is an asset of the restaurant's image. I'm human, i understand that any of us may have a bad day but, come on waiter, just smail back at me: u won't regret it. I usually leave tips, but if the service wasn't good i won't come again.

They say if you tip in advance, the service level raises. I can't say I've tried that.

TIPS=To Insure Priority Service