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How Bad Does Service Have To Be Not To Tip?


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On 8/6/2018 at 11:36 AM, Johnny Hammersticks said:

The server would have to be blatantly rude to me to get no tip (which thankfully has never happened).  For bad service, I will always leave a tip and then just never return to the restaurant.

 

not if the restaurant has good food.

 

I go to a place where this one waitress is not the greatest and she is no rookie and hope I don't get her but if I do I hope she puts in more effort but she doesn't do she gets less than the other girls.

 

she usually doesn't ask for refills and comes back quick with the check when we aren't even close to being done.

 

 

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I don't think I've ever left nothing, probably haven't left less than 15% since I was a dumb kid.  I worked as a waiter in my early 20s and it made an impression on me how somebody tipping well could make a lousy day better, beyond just the $ - just the idea that there are good people out there  (which was necessary when dealing with so many !@#$s as will happen in a service job.)  20% for me is usual minimum, I usually am eating with kids who can make a mess and be a bit loud, when I'm with them it's usually 30%.  If it's a cheap meal it's also usually a higher percentage (if it's a 10$ lunch I'll leave 5$.)

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My Mexican sister inlaw, goes to Carrabas and orders a pasta dish.  Hold the normal sauce and wants Alfredo instead.  Then goes on to complain that it's too runny and pasta is sticking together.

 

Holy Moly... Stick to the normal menu.  It's "corporate dining" & she thinks she is Anthony Bourdain making her own receipes on the fly.

 

The order was totally FUBAR'd.  I think I tipped the poor server 30%.  Share it with the kitchen staff nuking the bags of food.

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9 hours ago, Buffalo_Gal said:

When Hubby and I go to a restaurant, I pay and leave the tip because Hubby is less than generous (IMO) in the tipping department. Hubby calls me the "Patron Saint of Service Workers". 

If the waitstaff is subpar or rude, I hand hubby the bill. He worked in the restaurant industry, and unlike most former restaurant workers, feels To Insure Prompt Service is the true meaning of TIPS and needs to be earned. He considered 15% more than adequate. So, if I hand off the bill to him you can be certain the waitstaff is getting nowhere near that.

The odd part? I have never worked in a service industry where tips are customary. 

 

My wife is in a world where a lot of entertaining is common. She had a mentor decades ago who told her “on your own dime, you can do what you want. The bank is happy right around 15%.” To this day she does the math with a pen on the bill and usually rounds up a bit personally. I start around 20% unless they suck. Rounding off is critical, though. If an even $3 is 17.8%, they will have to live with it. But sometimes on a cheap/low bill, I go into “minimum mode”, and they get like 35%. 

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36 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

My wife is in a world where a lot of entertaining is common. She had a mentor decades ago who told her “on your own dime, you can do what you want. The bank is happy right around 15%.” To this day she does the math with a pen on the bill and usually rounds up a bit personally. I start around 20% unless they suck. Rounding off is critical, though. If an even $3 is 17.8%, they will have to live with it. But sometimes on a cheap/low bill, I go into “minimum mode”, and they get like 35%. 

 

I round the total to make the math easy.  So if the bill comes to 68.75, I round up to 70 and start with 20% of that.  So that's $14.  If the service is good, they get $15.  If it's bad, they get $10.  I usually wouldn't go below the $10 unless it was really bad.  But I'd go above the $15 if the service was stellar and/or I had a few cocktails.

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2 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I round the total to make the math easy.  So if the bill comes to 68.75, I round up to 70 and start with 20% of that.  So that's $14.  If the service is good, they get $15.  If it's bad, they get $10.  I usually wouldn't go below the $10 unless it was really bad.  But I'd go above the $15 if the service was stellar and/or I had a few cocktails.

 

I’m an odd bird who goes out for lunch usually Mon-Fri. Many of the same places, getting my favorite meal from each place. If it comes to $7.26 for a cup of black bean soup and an Arnold Palmer, they get $3. If my Cobb salad come to $11.75, they get about the same. I guess I’m just lazy. 

 

I do lunch far more than dinner, obviously. FAR too often. 

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5 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

I round the total to make the math easy.  So if the bill comes to 68.75, I round up to 70 and start with 20% of that.  So that's $14.

That's how I do it.  Tax included, total bill in the 20%.

5 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I’m an odd bird who goes out for lunch usually Mon-Fri. Many of the same places, getting my favorite meal from each place. If it comes to $7.26 for a cup of black bean soup and an Arnold Palmer, they get $3. If my Cobb salad come to $11.75, they get about the same. I guess I’m just lazy. 

 

I do lunch far more than dinner, obviously. FAR too often. 

Why breakfast places make good tips for working the same.  On small tabs I go 50%.

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9 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

Not as big an outreach movement in Canada.

 

most stories of this nature are of hearing someone had it happen to them , rarely first person truthful accounts.

 

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8 hours ago, Augie said:

 

My wife is in a world where a lot of entertaining is common. She had a mentor decades ago who told her “on your own dime, you can do what you want. The bank is happy right around 15%.” To this day she does the math with a pen on the bill and usually rounds up a bit personally. I start around 20% unless they suck. Rounding off is critical, though. If an even $3 is 17.8%, they will have to live with it. But sometimes on a cheap/low bill, I go into “minimum mode”, and they get like 35%. 



The only time I recall my husband leaving an overly generous tip was one time when we were taking a late flight out of JFK (he lived in Manhattan when I met him) to Vegas. For some reason, we didn't have dinner before going to the airport. We decided to catch a late meal at one of the places in JFK.

We sat down at this airport restaurant, and waited and waited for the waiter to come over. Finally, the waiter shows up and slaps down menus in front of us. The "Whaddya want" in a heavy Bronx accent was how he asked for our order. The plates of food were slammed down in front of us. The recheck never occurred, although we could hear him muttering as he cleared off tables close to us. The bill was also slammed down on the table, but silently.

Think of every single bad NYC waiter stereotype you have ever heard of, or encountered, all rolled into one.

I was appalled. Hubby was entertained! He called it dinner and a show, and left an unreasonably large tip for the "performance". 

And I remember the story because the service was so bad, and Hubby's tip was so large (and out of character).

Edited by Buffalo_Gal
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37 minutes ago, Buffalo_Gal said:



The only time I recall my husband leaving an overly generous tip was one time when we were taking a late flight out of JFK (he lived in Manhattan when I met him) to Vegas. For some reason, we didn't have dinner before going to the airport. We decided to catch a late meal at one of the places in JFK.

We sat down at this airport restaurant, and waited and waited for the waiter to come over. Finally, the waiter shows up and slaps down menus in front of us. The "Whaddya want" in a heavy Bronx accent was how he asked for our order. The plates of food were slammed down in front of us. The recheck never occurred, although we could hear him muttering as he cleared off tables close to us. The bill was also slammed down on the table, but silently.

Think of every single bad NYC waiter stereotype you have ever heard of, or encountered, all rolled into one.

I was appalled. Hubby was entertained! He called it dinner and a show, and left an unreasonably large tip for the "performance". 

And I remember the story because the service was so bad, and Hubby's tip was so large (and out of character).

 

There used to be (may still be) a place that is purposefully rude for entertainment purposes.  I heard about it years ago.  Gotta see if I can find out what it was/is.

 

I've never had rude/bad service in NYC and I'd never heard of any stereotype.  Not saying it's not "a thing," but I've never encountered it.

 

At McSorley's in Manhattan, the slamming down of beers is a tradition.  I knew about it prior, but didn't tell my son (14 at the time).  We went to lunch there last year and I got two beers (you have to order two at a time) and the waiter slammed them down in front of me and kept walking.  My son's eyes got as big as silver dollars.  Hilarious.

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I've only once ever not left a tip. I was eating with two friends at a smallish bar and grill. Since I was driving, I only ordered a soda with my meal, which drew some unprofessional remarks from the waitress. She then took our food order twice, which should have been a clue as to how drunk she was, but we didn't realize it until she delivered our food to the wrong table. Near the end of our meal, we ordered one more round of drinks. When the whole drink order came back completely wrong, I made the mistake of asking her if she was feeling ok. She proceeded to drop a slew of racial slurs on one of my dining companions. When I spoke to her manager, he defended her, and threatened to kick my ass. We walked without even looking at the bill. 

Edited by sodbuster
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48 minutes ago, Buffalo_Gal said:



The only time I recall my husband leaving an overly generous tip was one time when we were taking a late flight out of JFK (he lived in Manhattan when I met him) to Vegas. For some reason, we didn't have dinner before going to the airport. We decided to catch a late meal at one of the places in JFK.

We sat down at this airport restaurant, and waited and waited for the waiter to come over. Finally, the waiter shows up and slaps down menus in front of us. The "Whaddya want" in a heavy Bronx accent was how he asked for our order. The plates of food were slammed down in front of us. The recheck never occurred, although we could hear him muttering as he cleared off tables close to us. The bill was also slammed down on the table, but silently.

Think of every single bad NYC waiter stereotype you have ever heard of, or encountered, all rolled into one.

I was appalled. Hubby was entertained! He called it dinner and a show, and left an unreasonably large tip for the "performance". 

And I remember the story because the service was so bad, and Hubby's tip was so large (and out of character).

I would do the exact same thing.  Leave a large tip.

 

I guess it works on some of us! 

 

I hate smarmy, kiss azzes. If I am gonna give a small tip, it's gonna be those... Over-achievers that are running around like a chicken with their heads chopped off to please a patron's every whim.  Total fake.  Just had one like that in Buffalo last month @ William K's (Erie Basin).  We can see the food sitting getting cold waiting for rest of order.  Disorganized, totally fake waitress... Still tip 20%.

 

Keep it real.  Nobody is that special, including myself.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

There used to be (may still be) a place that is purposefully rude for entertainment purposes.  I heard about it years ago.  Gotta see if I can find out what it was/is.

 

I've never had rude/bad service in NYC and I'd never heard of any stereotype.  Not saying it's not "a thing," but I've never encountered it.

 

At McSorley's in Manhattan, the slamming down of beers is a tradition.  I knew about it prior, but didn't tell my son (14 at the time).  We went to lunch there last year and I got two beers (you have to order two at a time) and the waiter slammed them down in front of me and kept walking.  My son's eyes got as big as silver dollars.  Hilarious.

Ed Debevic's Chicago?

Edited by ExiledInIllinois
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4 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

There used to be (may still be) a place that is purposefully rude for entertainment purposes.  I heard about it years ago.  Gotta see if I can find out what it was/is.

 

I've never had rude/bad service in NYC and I'd never heard of any stereotype.  Not saying it's not "a thing," but I've never encountered it.

 

At McSorley's in Manhattan, the slamming down of beers is a tradition.  I knew about it prior, but didn't tell my son (14 at the time).  We went to lunch there last year and I got two beers (you have to order two at a time) and the waiter slammed them down in front of me and kept walking.  My son's eyes got as big as silver dollars.  Hilarious.

There's a chain of places, I think it might just be in Texas. Called Dick's Last Resort. Went to one on the Riverwalk (tourist area) in San Antonio. They do this. They also make you wear a paper hat, with something written on it. My cousin wore won that said "I Beat Anorexia." I had one that said "Not Everything Is Bigger In Texas." Some little girl was crying, and the staff just kept making fun of her, making her cry even more, and the parents loved it.

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