Do You Always Give The Waiter A TIP? Or You Still Keep The Change?

United States
August 28, 2008 5:03am CST
At one time, i and my husband together with my cousins dined at a local retaurant that serves native foods and delicacies. We were the first and only customers then that the waiters seemed so unprepared to serve us. When we were about halfway eating our meal, we decided to get the bill so we could go home quickly. my husband has a habit of drinking a full glass water right after each meal and so he was surprised that the restaurant does only have two clean glasses to be shared by 6 of us. My husband asked,"do you have 4 more glasses available?" But the waiters told they have only plastic cups. My husband left a grin and took the plastic cups instead. When the bill was handed over, there was a change of around P50. I wished to leave the P20 bill but my husband took it and exchanged it with P10 coins since a service charge was already included in the receipt. How about you? Do you still get the change or give it as a tip?
10 people like this
71 responses
@marinarovi (1318)
• Argentina
28 Aug 08
I personally do not believe tips are an automatic benefit, I think you have to earn it. so if the service is good, the tip is good. and if it's not, I not only complain, but I keep the change and do not feel guilty about it. but that's just me and my lousy temper, lol.
2 people like this
@aahuja (6)
• India
28 Aug 08
it depends.. if the service is good and the staff courteous i dont mind giving a tip.
• United States
29 Aug 08
sorry if i don't get a clean glass all to myself no tip and never return
• United States
31 Aug 08
thanks for the reply! my husband was delighted to find your comment!
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
29 Aug 08
I think that it all depends on the service. If the service is bad I will give them a bad tip, if it's fair i'll go ahead and give them a good tip. I don't know if you could call it a saying, but I will call it one : Give the waitress what she earned. So if it's really bad a penny will do. She'll either learn that she needs to be attend to her table more or she will get irritated. A penny is the least amount of money in US currency, if you did not already know.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Aug 08
If you leave a penny, it will be ignored by the server. Servers NEVER pick up the pennies and bartenders leave them in front of the guest. If your service is not good then ask to speak to a manager. Chances are they may buy you dessert to make up for poor service. Don't be childish and leave a stupid penny....servers just don't care about that (some sweep them from table to floor). But they DO care if their manager has to reprimand them.
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
28 Aug 08
Did they not have anyone there to wash dishes? I don't understand why they didn't have more clean cups. I try to leave a tip every time we eat out somewhere, but it depends on how the service was, if I leave one or not. We've been to some places where the service was so bad, or slow, where it took over an hour to get our food, then I probably won't leave a tip.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Aug 08
If it takes over an hour for your food to be delivered to the table then it may not be the server's fault. The fault could be in the kitchen with a backup of tickets, running out of certain foods, not enough cooks, etc. Find out before you stiff the server.
@rainmark (4302)
28 Aug 08
Disgusting! sometimes i give TIP sometimes not depends on my mood, if i like the waiter or crew who serves us a food hehhee
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Aug 08
UGH! .. I give nothing to them .. most of them have fake smiles .. And their service sucks!!! .. I d give that little money to those who can't afford food.
• United States
29 Aug 08
oh well, thanks for the response dear!
@sarkar1 (336)
• India
28 Aug 08
I do not give tips, this is because I feel, it would be better for me, to give a tip when I start earning on my own. Currently, I am still a full time student, who depends upon his parents financially, so I do not find it correct to give a tip.
• United States
29 Aug 08
If you don't give tips because you can't afford it then you should not go out. Servers work for very little pay per hour so when you do not tip it is as if they are working for free. You pay for service. If you go out and never tip you will be remembered and I don't want to do that to people who are delivering my food....or they might DO something to my food. Go to fast food where they do not accept tips. To service industry people you are blocking a table where a tipping customer could be seated.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
29 Aug 08
Hi wendhieRN, I always leave a tip unless the service is terrible which doesn't happen very often. If I knew that the waiter or waitress was new there I would overlook some things and leave a tip anyway. Blessings.
1 person likes this
@gtdonna (1738)
29 Aug 08
Yes but it all depends if the gratituy has been added to the bill or not...if it is added, then that is double tipping if you tip again...if not, then it si ok to tip your waiter
1 person likes this
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
30 Aug 08
sometimes. but i most of time forget to tip.
1 person likes this
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
29 Aug 08
I live in the USA and i dont think the tips are included in the bill. I leave tips if im satisfyed with the service and more if satisfied with the service and food. If im not satisfied they get no tip. They should imporve the service and food. Actually if the food is not good they wont see me again.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
29 Aug 08
I am old fashion, I tip for good service and I certianly don't tip for bad.
1 person likes this
@gabbana (1815)
• China
29 Aug 08
oh, never, it's not that i am mean but in my country we don't have the customs to tip waiters or anyone.
1 person likes this
• Canada
28 Aug 08
I always leave the waiter a tip...But I never go with the 15 percent rule...If the waiter/waitress is nice, has fast service and doesn't seem to be begging for the tip I'll generally leave a bigger one...I can't stand servers who act like they hate there job...We all hate our jobs! But part of their job is to be pleasant to to customer...If I'm eating at an "all you can eat" buffet, I don't tip too much at all...All the servers really do is bring you drinks, it's really not to difficult...I still leave them a decent tip, because I know they don't get paid much by the hour, but I just don't think they quite deserve the same type of tip of a server at a nice fancy resaurant... On a side note, who invented that 15 percent rule anyway? -Mike
• United States
29 Aug 08
Buffet servers do make more per hour than regular servers because of work involved. The 15 percent tip these days seems a bit cheap since most people tip between 18 and 20 percent on average. I leave buffet servers a few dollars and go with 20 or 30 percent for good service in fine dining or casual restaurants. The fine dining servers must then tip out their bartender, hostess and busser. It is a crazy business but probably the only business that accomodates student's schedules who work there. Thanks for being a nice person who always leaves a good tip. We love you for that!!!
@kaysue4 (951)
• United States
29 Aug 08
I usually always leave a tip, unless the service was really, really bad. I did have one that was like this and she didn't get a tip either. She never refiled drinks, and never even came back to the table to check if we wanted dessert, or anything. I will leave a tip based on the cost of the meals and what the total of the meals were.
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
29 Aug 08
If a charge for service is already included in the bill, then I don't give a tip. It doesn't make sense paying two service charges (unless, I suppose, if the waiter/waitress were completely exceptional!) If service is not included then I will always try to leave a tip. But sometimes I don't have enough money left after paying, and I find it really embarrassing when I can't leave one! Even if the service is really bad I still like to leave something, but I know that some people wouldn't bother in this situation.
1 person likes this
@bestcj (278)
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
Well its just like Rainmark say it would be defend. If the service is good i gave them TIP. But there's an instances that I pay exact bill so no change. Usually when there was a changed minimum of 50 below I just leave it. But now we're using credit card as more convenient to bring the money.
1 person likes this
@iyah10 (4115)
• Kuwait
29 Aug 08
In this case I will also do the same thing your Husband did although they do not have good service at all due to lack of glass and they already put a service charge of 10% for sure so it is better that he give only 10 pesos and in my way if the Restaurant or the service crew give good service then I would probably leave a tip in the table but if they were not doing so good then probably I will do the same thing your Husband did.......
1 person likes this
• Philippines
29 Aug 08
Hello. I don't go out much, but if i do, i usually left tips on for the services even though there was a service charge already. I usually love to give when i do enjoy my foods and the services was good. It doesnt need to be a handsome tips, my hubby usually leave big tips, i just have to shake my head off. LOL But with services like that, i am with your husband quite honestly. P10 coins isnt that bad, since you were charge already in their crap services. :)
1 person likes this
• India
29 Aug 08
yes..we do give but it actually depends on the waiter...if the service is really good,then we will...else still we do but amt wud be lesser...
1 person likes this