What are your views on tipping?
By pimagro24
@pimagro24 (1046)
Thailand
October 5, 2008 9:45pm CST
What are your views on tipping?
I believe that tipping is as much the part of dinning out as the food is. If you don't budget a tip when you go out, then you should not be dining out. Tipping is not a reward for good service and your not the etiquette police. Tipping is including your server in your entertainment for the evening....they are bringing you food and beverages, so you don't have to. Tell me if you agree or disagree.
8 people like this
24 responses
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
6 Oct 08
Since servers receive less than minimum wage, tips are definitely a requirement. Like you, I think that if one cannot afford a tip, then one should not be going to regular restaurants. Fast food joints would be more in line if one cannot afford a tip.
I've never worked in a restaurant myself, but my sisters both did and so has my son. Having either worked in a restaurant or having someone close to you who has makes you look at the dining out experience in a different light.
While I would never NOT leave a tip, I will make my dissatisfaction known by leaving a lessor tip. But I would never leave anything lower than 15%. And if service was superior, I'll leave 20, 25 or 30%.
Some restaurants automatically add 15% to each bill. In that case, again if the service was superior, I'll leave even more.
1 person likes this
@angela38 (122)
• United States
6 Oct 08
I do not know that I agree with everything you have said here but you are right it is not the waitresses fault if the meal is bad. However I do take issue if the waitress is cold to the customer she is serving. Case in point I have went to a few places where we were served and the waiteres was eather being very rude to us or in one instance they sat at a near by table with this immpatiante look on them just stairing at us as if they could not wait for us to leave. Once we even had a waitress try and take up our meals half way through dinner. Even once my mom had asked a waitress for coffee and the waitress said she would be back with it and never came back so mom went to get it herself and when asked by the manager why she was getting the coffee when she was supossedly not suposed to be around where it was mom told what happened and the manager got mad at mom and told her to go back to the table. The only tip mom gives in cases such as this is a good toung lashing. That has not happened to offten but when we do get great service mom gives as you say at least a 10 to 15% tip. Living on a fixed income we do not eat out to much but when we do on special occassions we try to be as friendly to the waitresses as we can if we are gave good service.
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
6 Oct 08
You're right about that, jackiew. It is not the server's fault if the meal was not good. That's when one should inform the management - kindly, of course. In many cases, they will reduce your bill, refund the entire meal, or offer a meal at a later date to make up for your unpleasant experience.
@missybear (11391)
• United States
6 Oct 08
I used to work in hosekeeping at the casinos.
When i cleaned rooms and didn't get a tip i was mad.
I tip when i go out always. sometimes more than others, depends on my money.
But i always leave something, even if only a dollar.
1 person likes this
@jeleen_tintoy05 (109)
• Philippines
7 Oct 08
its required. places do not pay their employees even the minimum wage, as they factor in expected tips into the wage. so they only make a couple of bucks and hour. you have to tip. when in doubt, leave 20% of more. If you hate the service leave 15% and figure the waiter/waitresses was having a bad day or the delay was in the kitchen.. they work way too hard pleasing us,and lets face it they control our food.
@gamechief (80)
• United States
7 Oct 08
I believe tipping should be based on how well the waitress/waiter/whoever does his or her job. If they hardly pay attention to you when you need service, there's no reason they should be getting your money, because they're not doing their job.
Now when the person provides entertainment (perhaps they have a nice sense of humor) along with being a good server, then they deserve a large tip. I left a $5 tip for a $20 meal once, because the server was absolutely hilarious. He provided us with anything we needed as we needed it, and every sentence he said was hilarious.
A server's job is more than transporting food from the kitchen to the table and cleaning tables (if they even do that). What they do in between is what designates a tip.
@rjones358 (5)
•
6 Oct 08
I disagree that tipping is not a reward for good service. I believe it is. If you get a server that is rude, unkempt, gets your order wrong, then that server did not earn their tip. In my opinion, tipping is a priviledge not a right.
@rjones358 (5)
•
7 Oct 08
I disagree. It's not a matter of whether a person can afford to eat out or not. It's a matter of service. I do agree that sometimes it is not the servers fault if the kitchen doesn't get it right. But when a server forgets to bring out a requested item, and does it more than once, or when the customer asks for something, waits patiently and then sees the server chatting with another server as if they have nothing better to do, or when the server shows no regard for getting the order wrong, like a simple apology, that server does not deserve their tip. If they are living off their tip, then they should know how to respect the value of it by providing good customer service.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
7 Oct 08
Very true...
I think tipping should be counted in your budget... if you don't have the money to tip while dinning out, then maybe you should go get some fast food or something.
Some people don't realize that those people count on their tips. I been down that road. A waitress doesn't make much by the hour && tips are basically their only pay && in some cases a small check, but tips are important to the waiter.
People should tip if they have good service... even without good service... I still tip...
@phoenix25 (1541)
• United States
6 Oct 08
I will leave a tip when I eat at a restaurant, but the amount of the tip depends on how good the service is. I have to disagree that tipping is not a reward for good service. If I get good service, I will give about a 20 percent tip. If it's not good, I'll leave 10 percent or less.
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
6 Oct 08
We do that too phoenix25, we give 20% if the service is good, and 10% or less if it isn't.
@Lexus656 (672)
• United States
6 Oct 08
I agree im a server myself, and even if i get bad service i still tip well. Its not a easy job to go in to work and have a whole bunch of guests taking their bad day out on you. If your food takes along time its not ur servers fault they only take the order they dont cook your food. Servers have to depend on the generosity of their guest to pay their bills,they only get paid a couple of dollars an hour and after taxes they are still getting a horrible paycheck. Just to let everybody know the word TIP means To Insure Promptness back in the day people would tip beforehand to make sure they got good service and how good your service was depended all on your tip so just think about that. So please people if you are gonna go out and have a server get your drinks and food, please tip.
@pimagro24 (1046)
• Thailand
7 Oct 08
Yes when we stay at situation that service they may be want or don't want tipping but some country they don't want tipping such as China
@tangledinbarbwire (76)
• United States
6 Oct 08
I used to be a server so i know what you mean. If you are going out you should be prepared to tip that server. They are doing their best to make sure you are taken care of. I hate when i see people just lave a dollar here and a dollar there. When their bill is like 50.00. When i go out no matter where i go. Even a buffet i still tip the person that takes the plate off your table. So I think that if you are not wanting to tip stay home dont eat out.
@sweetfungal2008 (14)
• United States
7 Oct 08
I do believe that you should accomadate tipping into your dining experience especially when they server is amazing. However I do belive that if the waiter/waitress gives you bad service a tip is not exceptable. I feel why should I give you a tip when you have provided me with terrible service. That brings up another question to add to this discussion. What do you believe is bad service. I personally believe that bad service is when you have to constantly ask for refills. The server does not check in with you. and attitude. It should be a positive and always have a smile on your face. What do you guys think.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
7 Oct 08
You have a point, but even with a bad service, I still tip, I just don't give a good tip.
Sometimes when you have to ask for a refill over && over, that really isn't the waitress fault, it could be the manager over booking the waitress && trust me that can happen. 
But with an attitude, there is no excuse for that... I would leave $1.00... 
But with an attitude, there is no excuse for that... I would leave $1.00... 
@shana123 (2095)
• India
6 Oct 08
Yes pimagro , we dont have to tip them in dollars less money is still ok for them , but since their salary is less we need to tip them something , atleast in my area people who serve they get low salary and only the tips which we give , they all share together and do some daily expenditure with this money
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
6 Oct 08
Tipping is not the norm in New Zealand and only when we moved to the US, we started to tip for when we dined out and other places too. If they give good service and we are happy with our dining out experience, we tip 20% sometimes a little more, and if they weren't, then we tip 10% or less. We ALWAYS leave a tip to show our appreciation for the person who served us.
@NonaSaile (924)
• Philippines
30 Oct 08
Some if not most of the restaurants here include "service charge" in the bill, which I assume will go to the service crew. Normally I leave tips, but the amount depends on how satisfied I am with the overall service - that would include the service crew and the overall setup/ambiance/etc. of the establishment. I will not leave a tip if there was something that really deterred my dining pleasure.
@amlegend (945)
• Pakistan
6 Oct 08
i be happy in giving the tip if i see that the waiter was very accurate in the order and was quick in serving it too. it's more on the environment that the restaurant will have and the efficiency of the waiter. if he is not that good, i will still give him the tip but it be as for a formality and hopefully i won't come back to that place again.
