Waiter Gets Frustrated When Customers Tip Him Only $3.28, Doesn’t Expect This Surprise The Next Day

I've also wondered why tipping is mandatory in the states. Don't they get minimum wage? If not, isn't that illegal? I really have no idea.

In my US state the waitstaff wage is $2.33/hr. Tips are “figured in” at $202 for 40hrs making for $7.38/hr, $0.08/hr more than the Federal Minimun Wage. PLEASE tip your waitstaff if you come visit us, they work harder and put up with more BS than you will ever know. Thanks!

Waiting staff in the US are paid next-to-nothing and rely on tips. It's not like in parts of Europe, where being a waiter is actually quite a good job.

My understanding is that wait staff in the US are not paid a decent wage and it is expected that they make up wages in the form of tips. I believe 20% is the usual for good service.

It all started during prohibition, when the restaurant business was doing awful because there was no booze. Before that time, waiters were bribed, but denied it because it was illegal and offensive. Then when prohibition started the restaurant owners encouraged them to take the bribes because they couldn't pay them their full wage. Now we uphold that practice, even though it's really stupid. It allows managers to pay their employees less than minimum wage, makes people stress out at the end of a meal, and it doesn't even benefit that waiter when they do well. Studies show that when they do well, they don't get paid much more. It also allows pay discrimination, which is illegal. Studies have proven black waiters get tipped less than white waiters. All in all, tipped should be banned in the US.

It is standard in South Africa too. I don't mind giving a tip but being forced to give a tip even when the food was not good and the waitress did a bad job infuriates me. It makes me feel like I am rewarding poor service. and the tip is 10% of the bill :(

Recently on a visit to the states, I ate at a couple of restaurants. The service was really no different or better than what I receive in New Zealand, so this idea that you get better service in general is probably not true.

I cannot agree more. It's fundamentally wrong. The restaurants should pay proper minimum wages or more and the prices on the menus should accomodate for it since people have to pay for it anyway since tips are expected and not optional. Then it's completely transparant. The problem is the industry and restaurants. Not people refusing or forgetting to tip. Tipping is retarded. Also susceptibel to restaurant owners withholding their tips.

I'm a server in Mississippi.... I make $2.13 an hour. By the time taxes come out, I'm LUCKY if i get check for $100 every two weeks.... And that's for 80 hours worth of work.

In the US, the servers are working for tips. Because tipping is part of the culture, restaurants are allowed to pay their waitstaff less than minimum wage. The restaurants will tell you that thus keeps their food costs down. That being said, I have been to a couple of restaurants that advertise that they pay their staff a living wage & tipping is discouraged. & while their menu items are higher than similar type restaurants, my overall bill was not higher than a place where I would have tipped 18 to 20 percent.

I have not waitressed in many years since I am now retired. Most restaurants do not pay their waiters a living wage because they are "tipped" regardless of how little the standard pay is. At the time I did this for a living I was paid $2.50 an hour in 1998 and had to depend on my tips to help make ends meet. Even in a good dinner restaurant people with money can be as stingy as a banker. I served a well know TV anchor at the Tinney/Silver Dollar restaurant in Hondo, New Mexico on Thanksgiving. He and his wife left me a $3.00 tip. I was stunned.

They are paid 3.5$/h, so basically the tip is how they make money to live...

In Some states they are not even paid minimum wage because the Govt. takes into account their tips as income. So for instance in Texas they make like $2.30 an hour WOW no one would survive on this, but tips balance it out. Where as in California they make minimum wages + Tips. When I was a server in California, USA I averaged $23 dollars an hour as a waitress. I would never work as a waitress for less !! People are super rude and demanding, not worth 2.30/hour that's FOR SURE!!

people who get paid tips have a much lower minimum wage than non-tipped jobs. so they actually rely on tips to survive. we are talking about a 6 dollar an hour difference from tipped to non tipped jobs minimum wage rate.

It's evident you are completely ignorant of the fact that their employers are NOT paying them rightfully. They pay of most servers is less thatn $3 per hour, and they're supposed to make the rest of the minimum wage with tips. No, I don't think that is fair. I think they should get paid like any other employee, but that's not the case.

Servers in the US are not paid even minimum wage. Their salary is dependent on tips. It does seem wrong, but that’s how it works.

Many waiters in the US are only paid a retainer plus tips. A system that works out far better than the one in Europe where it is added to the bill and split up between the staff. This socialistic idea rewards the rude, lazy and mediocre equally as those who really do an excellent job. The US system is merit based, a far better and fair situation.

minimum federal wage for tipped employees is $2.13. yes, that's right, two dollars and thirteen cents.

Our tipping system in the US is awful. It's archaic and unfair to the server and the customer. We have to tip out of guilt rather than when someone has provided exceptional service. It's more paperwork for the employers and also the employees and it results in some servers making $200 an hour (because we're tipping based on the cost of the food) and some servers not even making a living wage. I hate everything about it.

In the US, you tip your server because they are only paid about $2.13 per hour, while other workers in the US are paid at least $7.25. They literally work for their tips.

American employers are not paying minimum wage.

They AREN'T paying their employees "rightfully" for the job they are doing. In the U.S., servers are paid WAY below the minimum wage, and are expected to make that up in tips (for which they are taxed, by the way, whether they actually get the tips or not). It's a stupid, sucky system, but it is what it is, and not tipping your waiter is not only an insult, it means that that person made substantially less than he or she should have that night.

Average wage for tipped employees is around $2.50/hour. Does that explain why tips are so pervasive in the USA?

IN many places wait staff is legally paid BELOW minimum wage with the idea that they will make it up in tips.

:') Adam offers explanation/s on Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k

Adam offers explanation/s on Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k

I fully agree. I do live in the States and find the idea of tipping ridiculous. especially the part of where it's "expected", yet not official. If it's expected, add it into the bill. I've always thought that a tip should be ONLY if the person goes above and beyond what is expected - not someone who is nice or does a good job, but someone who does something totally unexpected. THEN you can give them a bit more as a thank you. People often bring up that they only get paid minimum wage, and that they rely on their tips. I feel like this is unfortunate, but they picked that job - there are lots of jobs out there. if you want to gamble, that's fine, but don't bitch when you get a bad hand.

I've noticed that some restaurants in the UK are encouraging customers to give tips, but it's illegal to pay staff less than the minimum wage over here, so the tips are not essential like it is in the US. I'm not falling for that scam.

Minimum wage is different for waiters. It can be a few dollars instead of the local minimum wage. Waiters in the US heavily rely on tips in order to make ends meet.

America, The New World, is actually the old world, which is a conservative, backward, class society.

In the states the salary for servers is in the top range $3.50 per hour and even lower I've seen some as low as $2.14. Yea, its legally allowed. These people earn a living on what you decide thier worth. Oh, and another thing they are taxed on pre set amount doesn't matter if they are tipped or not or how much cash they earn a shift by your tips. So if they don't earn more than the tax thier getting less than 4.00 an hour.

Waiters in the US aren't paid minimum wage because it is expected that they will receive tips to make up the difference.

In the states, I live in Missouri and I have been serving for over 30 years. We as servers, only get 3.85 an hour plus tips and our job doesn't just involve waiting on customers. It's up to us to clean and everything else. So here, it is an insult to not leave a tip. A waiter/ waitress job is not easy. We deal with a lot of rude and grumpy people who run us to death sometimes for nothing . But the nicest caring people sometimes makes up for the ones who think they shouldn't tip, or are just I'll informed of what servers actually get paid an hour.

@George Robertson, dude you gotta chill. Not everyone on earth resides or has resided in the precious US so they may not know about the system. Geez, no need to freak out over.

@steve Hall, plenty of US citizens wait tables...I hope you know that!

Because in the United States the companies that employ restaurant workers refuse to pay them a living wage. Instead, they pass on the obligation to pay the worker’s to the public who comes to eat there in the form of tips. Essentially, when you eat there you are paying their wages and not their employers.

they get minimum wage, the same here in Canada and live for the tips

Sometimes all they receive is the tip, they don’t get paid by the employer.....in our state anyway.

Waiting staff in America do not earn a lot - probably less than what we, as Europeans, expect to be minimum wage and nowhere near living wage. Tips then represent a contribution to their income and Americans understand this so tip well or else they will have their steak rubbed round the toilet bowl.

I live in Canada and we do tip, the machine gives you a choice, 10%, 15%, 20% or Other if you wish to give more or less. I generally tip 20 - 25% but if we go to a high end restaurant the tip is generally 18% and it is added to the bill as part of your total. Here yes they make minimum wage but just try to live on minimum wage, especially in a larger city. Rent alone would take up your wages, then how do you eat or pay other bills? Now that they are raising minimum wage to $15 per hour that should be easier for people but I sure wouldn't want to try to live on $15 per hour so yes I will tip, I don't notice it and it makes someone else have just a little easier time making their bills.

In Terms of Canada - at least in Ontario. Minimum wage is now $14/hour. Wait staff & bar tenders get $12.20 / hour. So, yes they do get paid somewhat less, but nothing like in the US.

agata, i replied to you on the main comment board, because a lot of people seem to have had the same question. i hope this helps you navigate the treacherous waters of eating out in america! and believe me, it isn't the only thing we have here that we wish was more like denmark :) anyway, happy dining! Skål!

You my not understand that servers or service industry worker make a lower than minimum wage relying on tips to make up the difference. This practice help keep costs to operate within the company structure.

You want good service? You Tip what you're suppose to.. 18% at least.. If you want him to take your order and give you your food and check the same time, without refills on your drinks, taking dirty dishes away, making sure your order is correct, fixing any mishaps by the kitchen and dealing with your mood when you come in.. then you will know to tip 18% or more if you had a server sing happy birthday. The employer should pay his staff min wage as a server.. but Tips are from guests who KNOW they want a good dinner with a good server!

In the United States, server pay is set low with the expectation of receiving tips. Often, it is below the legal minimum wage that would apply to other jobs in the area. There are a few restaurateurs (I've only heard of them in New York City, but there may be others) who are trying to change this, by paying their serving staff appropriately, and making their restaurants "no-tip". But in most establishments, the restaurant owner is basically putting it on the patrons to supplement his employees' earnings. It's a state of affairs that I dislike, but I'm not going to take it out on the serving staff. So as long as this is the state of things, I will continue to tip generously.

They're paid two dollars an hour, usually, is the issue

no the waiters are not pay by the employer the salary per hour is $2 this why you have to give tip

Actually there are some states where pay rate for servers is lower than minimum wage, it is considered a Tipped Wage , here is more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_States

They aren't paid much. My neighbor was a waitress, and earned a whopping $2.10 per hour.

Most servers in this country are paid a, "servers minimum wage" this consists of $3. less than the rest of us get for minimum wage. They rely on tips to balance out their income. Most restaurant owners are cheapskates. They make a fortune and, refuse to pay a decent wage. $5.10 was a good wage....in 1980. Hope this answers your question.

Because that is the custom in US...also, what "tipped employees" make varies from state to state, and the federal mandatory minimum wage for tipped employees is absurdly low...here is a link to a table with the different states minimum wages for tipped employees https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

In Denmark, waiters are paid a working wage and have health benefits and other benefits that you find in full-time employment. Here, in the United States, servers are paid $1-2 an hour and have to make up the balance in tips. Under Trump, our government just passed legislation that allows the business owners to collect the tips and allocate them as s/he sees fit...or not at all, which is oppressive for these workers, IMO.

They are not paid for it by their employer. Not even enough to cover ones taxes for the year.

In the United States, waiters are not paid much by the hour, tips make up the difference. Perhaps in Denmark,waiters get more per hour, and are appreciated for the hard work they do.

In the US, waiter pay is based on the assumption of a tip. It is way less than minimum wage. They get paid maybe $4-5 per hour, so if you don't tip, they don't make a living wage. There have been attempts to change this nationally but never successfully.

Minimum wage in the US is set by state. In some states it is less than $3/hour for tipped workers, less than half of that for untapped workers. As a former waiter I know it is an imperfect system, but it is the system here. A tip is simply a part of the cost of eating out intended To Insure Promptness. I applaud the young people who discovered and corrected their error.

unfortunately its not enough. The government allows the employer to pay waiters less than minimum wage because they get tips- and they tax you on 15% of your receipts so if you don't get a tip you are still taxed as if you did. In some states waiters make as little as $2.13 per hour.

Actually, as I have always understood it, waiters here in America are NOT very well paid by their employers. Their tips are supposed to help supplement their pay. I am not sure why this is, but it has always been this way.

Servers are paid way less in the US - as low as $2.13 an hour - and expected to make up the rest of their wages in tips. Only hostesses, kitchen staff, and table busers actually earn at least minimum wage. The IRS also taxes according to projected tips.

Your last sentence answers the questions. Servers don't get paid enough.

Waiters whole pay day is mostly made up of their tips, so they need a lot of it to earn high salaries

My daughter has tried to explain it to me, but it's true that not all waiters/waitresses get paid minimum wage. Most of them rely heavily on tips to make up the difference. And it's legal. I still don't understand, but that's the way it is here in the good ol' USofA.

In the US a percentage is taken off of the age for tips.

Please don't PRETEND cluelessness here. If you're old enough to go out (21 lets say...) you also KNOW a server is paid LESS then minimum wage. Again, you have an opinion don't you? You must have known this right? How else would you come up with such an entitled response. Your types sicken me. If you're not pretending to be clueless to save a buck or 2 on tipping, you make everyone around you sick with your know-it-all entitlements.

This is the United States, and that's the way we do it. If someone gives bad service, we leave nothing or something small. A 20% tip tells the waiter that he's done a good job. It encourages the good ones, and a small tip tells the bad ones to get their act together, that it's a customer service business. My son got tips at a fast food restaurant where he worked when he was 15-1/2 because he gave such good service. That doesn't hardly ever happen, but it was a message to him that he was doing a good job. The owner of a restaurant is not necessarily able to tell who's doing a great job, and who isn't.

This is also the case in Australia generally - or was when people were more fairly and better paid. Many waiters would be offended if offered a tip, saying "I am paid perfectly well". It was seen as being like tossing coins to a beggar. However, when, as a single mother and student I used to waitress, those times people left me a tip I was so very grateful for. The tip is because you went out of your way to be good at what you were doing, and it's know it's not a well paid job. It's a practical way of saying "thank you". A couple of times by tips bought bread and eggs for my kids - so please, dont look down on it - and think about it next time someone gives you good service.

Your cheap you know that a waiter makes 2.13 an hour plus tips so figure the Math plus your probably are the ones that are so demanding and run your server I suggest for you to go McDonalds

Minimum wage in the US is around $7 to $8 per hour. Tipping is meant to compensate for this extremely low rate of pay. It's not mandatory, in terms of law, but it is considered very rude. The approximate guidelines as percentages of the bill: average service = 15%, great service = 20%, bad service = 10% or less.

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My activities/notifications tab is screwing up. Any idea why

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You are obviously ignorant of how waiters are paid in the US. Do, until you educate yourself, shut your f’ing mouth. You add nothing to this conversation. Being Intentionally ignorant is not exceptable.

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Waiters in the US are NEVER paid a living wage. Restaurant owners will hire waitstaff, schedule them to work 30-35 hours a week, and since they can then call them "part time", they do not have to pay minimum wage or provide any benefits at all. ... There are waiters that make as little as $3.00 an hour in this country. If it weren't for tips, they would be homeless. ... Now. Stop being smug when you have no idea how things work here.

service staff do not earn a decent wage. they live primarily on tips. that’s just the current system.

Mixedupste: I am not from the US, and in under a minute I learned that most waiters and waitresses only get paid $2 to $3 an hour! So yes, as long as restaurants pay them this little, TIP the waiters and waitresses. Reading your comment, I guess you are not from the US, like me. Read first and then comment please. Maybe these comments weren't up yet when you wrote this. In this case I understand you. But then still, do your research. In (I guess) most European countries tipping is not expected to be mandatory. But I would WANT to tip waiters and waitresses who get this little money for this amount of hours of hard work and dealing with ungrateful costumers.

Another clueless entitled "person of the world" I see. BEFORE you make such a stupid comment, why not find out what you're talking about. You haven't a clue and you're how old?