Server Goes On A Rant About Customers Who Don’t Tip Enough, Divides The Internet
Interview
The tipping culture in the United States is unique. When eating at a restaurant, it is standard to tip at least 15%, but especially for excellent service or a large party, it’s best to leave 20-25%. Technically, there are no requirements to tip, but it is understood that servers are working for tips, as the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is only $2.13 an hour. While servers can make excellent money when customers are generous, there are always some who try to abuse the system and pay for nothing more than their meals.
After becoming fed-up with repeatedly receiving small tips, one server, Ben Raanan, recently posted a rant on TikTok calling out customers for not knowing how to tip. Below, you will find Ben’s original video as well as a follow-up, some of the comments viewers left, and an interview between Ben and Bored Panda. Let us know what you think about this situation, whether you have ever been a server or not, and then if you’re looking for another piece bringing bad tippers to light, check out this story next.
One server, Ben Raanan, recently called out customers on TikTok for leaving small tips
Image credits: blazikenben
Image credits: Iain Farrell (not the actual photo)
You can hear Ben’s full rant right here
@blazikenben Tip ur fucking servers #server #serverlife #serverproblems #restaurant #restaurantlife #serviceindustry #tips #tipyourserver #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Ben Raanan
We reached out to Ben on Instagram to find out if he has noticed an increase in small tips recently, with inflation being so high. He told us that it’s not necessarily a trend of intentionally bad tippers, but that a lot of customers will hand him small tips acting like they are being very generous because they don’t understand inflation. “Like a lady handed me $10 for a $200 tab and was like ‘There you go honey’ with a smile on her face, and I genuinely don’t think she meant it in a bad way, I really think she thought it was a good tip,” Ben explained. “That’s why I made the video I wanted to raise awareness for people who don’t understand why tip is a percentage.”
We also asked Ben if he could explain why earning tips is so necessary for servers. “Tips are our pay for our service. The bill is what you pay for the food, and the tip is what you pay for the service,” he said. “The capitalist institution/the restaurant industry has convinced people that tips are optional for some reason, and I believe that reason is that people are happier paying for something when they feel like they’re doing it out of the kindness of their own heart, rather than being forced to.”
Opinions of viewers were split, some who had worked in the service industry before agreed with the importance of tipping well
“And this is a nice thought, and I love that there are people that tip well and feel good about it,” Ben explained. “But in reality, it should not be optional, because just like with anything else, you have to pay people when they do work for you. Yes I get paid for my job by the restaurant, but I make minimum wage and several other states pay their servers far below minimum wage (like I’m talking $2) because they assume tips will make up the rest. We’re told to report at least 10% of our sales, because otherwise the IRS will audit us because they expect us to get tips as well. At the end of every shift we have to do a tipout, which means we give a percentage of our SALES (not our tips), which is the amount of money people spent with us, to the bussers, bar, and other people who work in the restaurant. So whether or not I’m getting at least 10% tips, I’m giving 10% of my tips away every day. This is why it’s so important to 20% of your bill. Because we are paid and treated by the government like tips are a given.”
Lastly, we asked Ben what he would change about the way servers are paid in the US. “Something a lot of people were commenting was that restaurants should just pay servers more, that it shouldn’t be up to the customer to pay our wage, all of which I agree with,” Ben said. “But what people don’t wanna hear is that that would still make you have to pay more. Which you should, because again you’re getting a service, you have to pay for that. But I think people take for granted that the service they get in restaurants is worth money, which is sad that the system has made it seem like it has optional worth. And technically it’s optional for me to try hard, but I don’t want to give bad service. I enjoy working service, which a lot of people seemed to not understand because I was upset. I was not upset because I work in the service industry. I was upset because I know what my work is worth, and I’m getting short-changed. You would be too. So what I think is that there should be an automatic 20% gratuity on every bill, a service fee, that we keep just like tips.”
Ben went on to explain that he knows not all service is good, so sometimes it is fair to leave a smaller tip. “But what makes me angry is when I know a table received excellent service, especially when they tell me so, and then they leave a bad tip. That’s what sparked the original video. So I think there should be an automatic 20% gratuity, and if there was really a problem with your service, you should have to ask for the manager to take it off and explain why. Put your mouth where your money is! I think most people hide behind the assumption that people can tip low if the service was bad when their service wasn’t bad, and if they were asked to back it up they couldn’t. That’s how I would change the system. No one’s work should have an optional worth.”
While others thought Ben was directing his anger towards the wrong people
In theory, the tipping culture in the US provides servers with the opportunity to earn endless income. If they provide excellent service, maybe crack a few jokes and learn the names of their customers, they might receive tips higher than 25%. But the reality is that the average customer will not go above and beyond when tipping. And if they find anything wrong with their experience, like waiting 30 minutes for a table or the kitchen messing up someone’s order, a customer’s dissatisfaction tends to be reflected in how much they tip. Relying on the custom of tipping can make a server’s job extremely stressful, as there is no guarantee of how much money they’ll see on their paycheck. This uncertainty can lead to a toxic, competitive environment, and it can lead servers to resent customers who tip poorly, rather than the system in place that allows servers to earn such small wages.
Even more sinister than fostering an uncomfortable environment, tipping culture can even allow for racial inequality to run rampant in restaurants. According to data from the US Census Bureau of Labor Statistics of servers’ median hourly tips from 2010-2016, white servers earned significantly more tips than their Latinx, Black and Asian peers. Racial prejudices go both ways in restaurants though, as 66% of servers say they have witnessed co-workers show a bias against patrons of color. When it is assumed that white customers tip more, servers go out of their way to accommodate those eaters and minorities are left receiving less than ideal service.
So he made a follow-up video defending his stance
Tipping culture is an outdated norm that does not seem to be benefiting customers or servers. The experience of eating out would be much simpler if customers could pay for their meals and decide to leave a small tip if they felt so inclined, rather than knowing that their server is expecting a large tip to be able to pay their bills this month. Plenty of other countries pay servers living wages, so the United States could certainly revamp their system to do the same. How do you feel about the tipping culture in the US? Have you benefited from it as a server, or do you think it’s time for the minimum wage for tipped employees to be raised? We’d love to hear your thoughts below. And if you’d like to keep up with Ben on Instagram, you can follow him right here.
You can hear Ben’s response to the negative comments right here
@blazikenben Reply to @c_johnson55 Workers of the world unite #server #serverlife #restaurant #serviceindustry #servertok #entitled #tips #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #geteducated ♬ original sound – Ben Raanan
Your tipping culture sucks. I pay for the meal, your employer is supposed to pay your wages. A tip should be a little thank you, not what you have to live on.
I would rather pay more for my food and tip what I feel is appropriate than be spoken to or regarded like that. Guess I’m lucky not to live in the US.
I wouldn't want a lecture from a server, either, but I'm also aware that their base pay is terrible. In Canada, the minimum wage for servers is lower than for other workers. I'm assuming it's the same all over the US.
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Yeah, blame the customer and not your boss who pays you 5$/h... What's wrong with you Americans that you think this is normal? Waiters earn between 25-30$/h where I live and guess what, tipping is something you can do if service was excellent but nobody will bat a eye if you don't tip on a 200$ meal.
We think it's normal but that doesn't mean we like it. Our waiters shouldn't need to live off tips. Also, like Moxie said, not all of us Americans think like him.
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Wow. What an entitled @ssh0le. Threatening customers that don't tip what you think they should? I'd be going somewhere else for dinner.
Gotta laugh when people say that if restaurants pay a better wage your food will cost more - it IS costing more, 20% more - why not just increase prices by 20% and pay a living wage?
They don't *want* to acknowledge the proportionality of raising wages versus raising prices. And those that do acknowledge it who are business owners *still* spout this nonsense because raising costs and raising prices can still have a knock-on effect on their bottom line, aka their profit margins if only because of the PR aspect of price increases (i.e. Restaurant X has put their prices up by a dollar - I'm not eating there. But they've also raised their staff wages by five dollars. Don't care - the prices have gone up so that's money out of MY wallet [continued bigoted, idiotic grumbling]). And the reason for this is classist - servers are LOWER than me, why should they get paid more than what I think they deserve. [Sorry, I've wandered into my own rant here, I'm off for a nap]
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Going out to eat is not necessarily a luxury, like somebody claimed above. Maybe one is in a trip for work and have to eat out. What is weird is what BP says in their article: "there are always some who try to abuse the system and pay for nothing more than their meals." It is the employers who is abusing the system, but not paying a decent wage, not the customer!
You can moan all you want to mate, you’ve been brainwashed to think the customers should pay your wage. Where you work is meant to be paying you, not the diners.
It isn't brainwashing, it is reality. Do you really think that we all would love to change this system? But it will not happen. We live in a capitalist country, where screwing over as many people as possible to make as much money as possible is considered normal, and in some groups, "good business". To change this would require a major shift in our entire society and government. All the cities in all the counties in all the states would all have to get on the same page and agree to paying livable wages.......it effing sucks
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Dumbest thing ever. Why should the consumer bare the cost of your diminished income. 20% on the bill excluding tax is a lot in my opinion. I did some work on this topic for some American student and I was shocked to discover the concept of tipped wage. From what I read it also has racist and classist origins, and is inherently discriminatory as some workers may get tipped less for factors outside their control ( appearance, race etc).
If servers start confronting people about their tips, you're going to see a lot of servers getting fired after patrons complain to their managers. Or people will stop going to that restaurant and servers will be laid off. This kind of attitude is exactly what's wrong with tipping culture and why it needs to be eliminated in the U.S.
If a server confronted me about a supposed previous “bad tip”, first of all I’d tell that person that the reason for the bad tip was bad service, and then I would immediately call for the manager (in a non-Karen way.) I do not expect someone to wait on me hand and foot at a restaurant, but I do expect to have servers do their jobs. It’s not my problem if they feel I don’t tip enough.
Load More Replies... America is so weird! Why do servers have to live off tips! Seriously, just pay them a living wage.
"If I'm not entitled to a tip, you're not entitled to good service" - hun, that's what your salary is for. If you're not going to provide a good service, then what are you getting paid for? Instead of pestering the customers, go ask your employer why they don't think you deserve a living wage. Inflation is affecting everyone else too, be grateful you're getting any tips at all.
I'm not defending the video here because that kid does sound whiny and entitled. But whether servers should be paid a living wage isn't the issue here. They're not. And the reason they're paid so little ($3.28/HR when I served) is because it is expected that they would receive tips. On top of that, they have to tip out minimum 3% of their sales to bussers, bartenders, and others. That's whether they get tipped or not. So if you stiff a server, it just cost the server to wait on you. Regardless of what it SHOULD be, this is what it IS. And you think they're immune to inflation? No. Undertipping or not tipping at all because you don't like the status quo is a d**k move that hurts no one but the server trying to make rent.
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Here in Italy we don't tip. Tip are for work beyond the normal.
Yes, but wages are living wages, not 50% of the legal minimum that US law permits in restaurants _because_ the IRS expects the waiter to get the tips!
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20% on top of the price is nuts. Glad I'm not in the USA! And the brainwashing that it's the customer at fault not the employer is scary. I agreed a wage with my employer and that's what I'm paid. If I perform well then I might get a small bonus at the end of the year but it's not guaranteed as depends on other factors besides my performance. I don't expect tips for doing what I'm paid to do and certainly wouldn't do a worse job for not getting tipped. If I go out and service is very good then I'll tip 10% but it needs to be above and beyond taking my order then bringing it to me whilst being vaguely polite.
Agreed, also what is the logic behind it being a percentage anyway? Is it more work to carry a plate of fries over to someone's table than a steak?
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Almost every restaurant in Europe offers a good dining experience without the need to tip. I am talking about the same experience that the this person says deserves a 20% tip. You want to know why? Because workers are paid a livable wage.
Yes! And while I do tip when I find the meal and/or the service excellent, it's never an obligation. And because a tip is not expected, servers are usually genuinely happy when I tip. It's a little bonus, not a part of their wage.
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I would actually love it if a server just brought out everything I asked for all at once, and then left me alone for the entire meal, and then I just got to leave as soon as I was done. Doesn't mean I want to have to eat Mcdonalds food
That’s my dream experience! I’d never be eating and just randomly ask for more or different food halfway through the meal and I hate being trapped at the end waiting for the bill when I want to leave.
Load More Replies... It doesn't make sense to tip a percentage of the bill. Serving two courses is the same amount of work whether the price is £ 20 or 200.
If the tips were getting split with the kitchen staff, I'd get it since a more expensive meal takes more skill. But otherwise it doesn't make sense.
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Yet another problem with America the land of the free. Capitalism and greed. Who wants to have the simple experience of just eating out ruined by the glaring and begging eyes of servers who, more often than not, expect to go home with hundreds of dollars in their pocket and for what? Doing a job they should be properly paid for in the first place? Your over the top tipping culture is insane and vulgar. Jesus, when I was there I actually had a regular person just hold out their hand to me for a tip after I asked for directions. They even apologised after they realised what they unconsciously did, so go figure.
Keep the slaves hating each other so they can't stand together. While every poor sod is salivating and snarling and hissing over that tiny slice of the pie, the wolves go home with a fat wallet. Can't say I blame him for that narrowmindedness. It's a common theme through history. If you deprive a people enough, they will regress to their most basic instincts.
I always tip atleast 20% when I go out to eat but I disagree with this guys rant. You got into the service industry knowing the pros and cons...so to say your performance depends on what the customer tips is wrong. Your performance is a reflection of the owner, and they can lose business over it. So you should rant at the supervisor/owner about your pay.
He should blow up on his employer, not the customers. Times right now are difficult for many of us, not only him. Maybe that, what he calls a cute littler 5 or 10$ also means a lot to the granddaughter who saved up money to treat her Nan on her 80th birthday.
Honestly, I'm a little afraid to eat out these days because of these types of rants from servers. I've completely stopped speaking up if my order is wrong because I'm worried the servers will spit In the corrected order. My strategy is to just stop going to any place that gives me lower quality food or service. I don't know when expected tips went up from 10 percent to 20+ percent, but I really hate the complaints from the servers.
I hate the whole 'don't f*** with people who are handling your food' it's disgusting! I'm not saying customers should be rewarded when they are clear a********s but you should be able to send food back if it clearly isn't right without fear that someone will contaminate your food.
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Why did you post this? It's NOT the customers' responsibility to pay those workers' wages! Stop putting the blame on us. That's what the corporate bosses want you to think.
I have worked in the service industry in the US. I always tip 20-25%. I still find this person's rant wholly unacceptable. If you don't understand what a gratuity is, try a dictionary or Wikipedia. If you don't like the system, change it. But it's not the public's fault you made the choices you made. It sucks, but spend your time trying to change the rules, not shame people who are probably doing their best.
This guy comes across as a total d**k. You are paid to do a job, if you do not think that you are being paid enough to do that job, then take it up with your employer or find a different job. It is up to your employer to pay your wages, not the customer. I will always tip for good service but I refuse to leave a tip for someone who provides mediocre service just because their employer does not pay them what they want to be paid.
I think the bigger issue is tipping exists. If you do a job successfully you should be paid a livable wage. If not the place of employment should fire you or retrain you. Or not be a place of employment. Idk why tipping started if it was always just an extra thing for really exceptional service im down but it shouldn't be a wage decider. Just pay a livable wage and don't vote for anyone who voted for a 1% er tax break.
This guy is an a hole. I hate tipping culture and if you need it to live you should get a better paying job, I've paid for my meal etc why should I give an extra 20% for staff? All they do is bring the food over and ask occasionally if they can get you anything else. When I go food shopping I don't tip, when I pay my gas bill I don't tip, when I buy petrol I don't tip etc....
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That's why I NEVER tip. I pay for a product or a service, your salary is your employer's responsibility, not mine...
The problem isn't the customers not paying the tips you need to be able to live, the problem is you're not being paid a fair salary by the employer. Targeting customers by shaming them because you think that's easier than challenging your employer isn't going to increase your income but make people want to go elsewhere. As we say in the UK, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Pay people! I have eaten in the same chain restaurant in states in which the people are paid $16.00 an hour or more and in states where they are allowed to pay $2.13 an hour. The food costs the same. Don't let your cheap bosses pit customer against server. And then start working on two things. Start working to raise the minimum wage in your state. Then start a movement in your state to make them pay servers the minimum wage everyone else gets. Red states are most likely to expect servers and other tipped workers to work for nothing.
This dude is a raging douchebag. If he's complaining about $10 tips then I bet he's probably doing alright. All it takes is one $10 tip an hour to be doing better than the the masses of people out there busting a*s for $7.25 an hour. I've been a waitress and yes it sucks when you get no or low tips but demanding 20% as a default has always struck me as kind of insane. I've gotten better and more service on a $20 breakfast at Denny's than a $200 steak dinner but I'm supposed to give the Denny's server $4 and the server at the fancy place $40 just because the food cost more? That's stupid.
Tipping culture in the United States is absolutely mind-boggling and antiquated. For the life of me I can’t understand why you can’t pay your employees a decent living wage. The customer isn’t to blame-it is this horrible tipping culture that most of the US refuses to change.
He needs to find another job that caters to his whining. He's there to do a job, whether or not he's tipped.
German here, not at all familiar with the tipping culture of the USA... can anyone explain to me why the waiter's tip is based on the cost of my food? Like, 10%, 20%, WHY? What does it matter to the server if I order a soup for 5$ or a lobster dinner for 100$? The lobster's more work for the cook, sure, but I'm not tipping the cook. I'm tipping the server. How does the cost of my food affect the server? I guess it makes sense when somebody orders multiple items, but somebody who orders 3 appetizers and 4 drinks and pays 35$ for it still has to tip less than somebody who orders one big meal and one drink for 60$, despite the fact that the first one was more work for the server than the second one. Why isn't the tip based on the amount of things you ordered? That would make much more sense.
Because the USA is the land of the corrupt and greedy. The government likes to s**t on its own people more than anyone else.
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Man what a greedy little twat. 10% isn't enough? Be happy people even give you that. It's not the customers job to make you get a proper wage, it's your jobs. If you don't like the pay and tips go find another job. This server sounds incredibly rude and self centered. I'm gonna say he gets bad tips because of his attitude
Been there.. lived that.. Waited on someone who ordered $400+ worth of apps and booze for his party. Tipped me $5. I was not allowed to complain about tips, but I did ask if there was "something wrong with his service"... it led to an open discussion on American server pay (also frowned upon), but it did change his view and tipping; I appreciated that.
And guess what "if you don't tip you shouldn't eat out" . When we stop eating out, you dear Ben will be without a job. Please evaluate your attitude towards those customers thanks to whom your job even exists.
That's actually hilarious. When I saw it I knew this kid is from LA. Servers in LA nowadays don't do anything but say "hi" to a table and click a few buttons. They have other ppl doing all the actual work, yet they make the most money. In fact, servers at good restaurants make more than 100K a year, so... hard to see why. I literally work at a restaurant on weekends and feel they don't deserve the money they make nowadays. I also worked as a server when I was younger and back then I actually earned every dollar because I actually served people and worked hard.
I'm a bit confused about this. If this guy is saying $10 is not a good enough tip, I'm wondering how many tables he waits on each day. If I was a waiter, working five days a week, and I wait on 20 tables a day (not unreasonable when I was young and waitering), that's $200 a day (plus his wages), which equals at least $1000 in tips (plus wages) a week! How is he complaining about this?
Has this child lost his mind? Just like someone said when did the requirements for tipping change? What he said in his rant is extremely rude and you can bet your sweet bibby that he is rude to his customers. Whatever his tips may be he will not be satisfied. One more thing who are these servers to tell us what sort of restaurants to patronize. If he had come across in a nicer tone I might have had a sympathy for him. And I do mean very little. Feeling entitled is not a birth right.
Some tourist save for a long time to just go to America. The wages regular People earn here are fairly low compared to what a waiter earns in the US. Of even 50people tip 5$ in a day, you'll earn more than me.
If I go to a restaurant. The steak was $15 steak or went to a more expensive place and the steak is $30. Should I leave twice as much tip? Did you provide twice as much service just because the food was more expensive. Tipping should not be based on the price,
He had me until the "You're not holding up your end of the deal" line. I held up my end of the deal by paying my bill at the end of the meal. This is coming from someone who tips regardless of the level of service, having someone threaten to lecture me if I don't meet their tipping requirement is a load of c**p.
Well, let's start out with the falsehood.... "as the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is only $2.13 an hour."...that actually isn't entirely true. Yes that is the required base salary, but the regulations go on to read that if the servers tips plus base salary do not total out to AT LEAST the standard federal minimum wage, then the restaraunt has to make up the difference. ALL servers get at least the full federal minimum wage...not just $2.13 per hour. That is a FACT. Second, this server acts like every single serve gives good service and every experience we have a every restaraunt is great.......that is just simply not true, and if I have bad service, I should not be expected to pay a high tip for that bad service. Lastly, this guy talks like he feels he is better than all those eating where he works and that they OWE him respect. Life doesn't work that way...other than human decency, you earn the respect you get....it is not given to you. He really needs to grow up
OK, i understand that in the US the wages really sucks and tipping is part of the server`s wage. But how this still should be dependent of the total cost of the bill. Serving a glass of iced water and simple meal is same amount of work as serving expensive wine with expensive steak..
I don't care what other Americans say. A tip is not mandatory. It is literally an acronym defined: "to insure prompt[service]" or for exceptional service. Not mandatory. No matter how much you are shamed, no one is entitled to your money. If they do, that's literally a scam that everyone believes and expects.
A business owner pays little because they *expect* their servers to earn more through tips. Servers *rely* on those tips. If you shame customers into paying for more instead of doing something about it, you're just making the problem worse.
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Wow. This post is fascinating. And the number of people criticising the US system kinda says it all. A tip is a complement, not a mandatory gratitude for doing your bloody job. Imagine if other professionals did that aside from hospitality? And as much as I love holidaying in the states, this mentality really pisses me off. You poured a can of coke into a glass with ice... and you want a tip??? No. Not happening. Wealthiest country on the planet yet chronic poverty, disproportionate homelessness, mass unemployment, unaffordable healthcare, no maternity leave, shite annual leave, a penal system that operates from profit. What an utter f*****g mess!! What is wrong with this place that they can't have an upheaval or revolution and just change some of this stuff?? Oh wait, they're going backwards - the still believe in god and women's rights are diminishing at a rapid rate of knots.
I’m a 20% tipper, and I am sick of it. I was a waitress and bartender for years, regardless, I’m sick of it. Restaurants that used to be $20 per head are $40-$50, that’s way more the the rising costs of everything else. Meanwhile, I’m watching (my previously favorite) restaurant owner buying a Grand Prix car and racing…? Like what? There is rising costs to match inflation and then there is price gouging your clientele. Tipping $4 on $20 versus $10 on $50 is crazy, for the exact same meal. F- that. I am eating out less now then during the pandemic. I am a great cook, restaurants are full of unknowns, unknown sanitation, ingredients, servers and cooks, I will just keep eating food I prepare myself.
Tips used to stand for To Improve Proper Service and was given IN ADVANCE to ensure such service; a service above what usually could be counted on. I have been quite a few times to the US and have eaten at restaurants. The service has more often than not been quite normal - not bad, not exceptional. Still you expect me to pay a large tip (and yes, on a 250$ bill, 50-75$ is quite a lot for average service)? For what? And why is it a percentage that matters?? Is the service worth more or perceived better if I order a fancier dish? Is it harder to pour an expensive wine than a cheap one? I completely agree with lots of other comments here, that employers should pay staff decent salaries instead. By all means - add 10% on prices, but do NOT expect to pay additionally for standard (as can be expected) or poor service.
At better restaurant establishments, that have the nads, there is a tipping system built in on large parties, especially, any party larger than a four top. The tip is added in at the end. Yet, I have seen such hissy fits you would not believe over this 15 percent added in tip, which is clearly stated on menus. And some people act like they are getting by with something by not tipping. Let us be clear. The additional 15-25 percent, whether collected by raising pricing or required tipping all leads to the same 20-25 meal as a median rule, up to your highest prices which can vary.
If, in the opinion of the customer, the service is below average, the tip should be below average. Too many servers believe that their service is beyond reproach. Learn from the criticism and improve.
I will NOT be dictated on how much tip I should leave! I tip according to the service I receive. I have had a $10.00 meal and left a $20.00 tip. Why? The service was fantastic, the person who waited on me was nice and cordial and my meal was prepared exactly how I requested it to be. This one restaurant that is family dining, I ask to sit in this one waitresses section always. Why? The menu says green beans or corn, she lets me have a little of both. I love that.
I guess this is how it works in the US. But I'm not American, I'm Dutch. I live in the Netherlands, which is a small country in Europe where servers don't have to rely on tipping by customers. Servers in the Netherlands earn indeed a minimal wage salary, which is over 14 euro (about $ 15) an hour. And guess what? The food costs less than it does in the US. Whenever I'm in the US I'm always surprised how quickly I run out of money when eating out, even if I'm not tipping (which, in general, I do because I know how the American system works and nine times out of ten I'm on vacation so I spent money more easily then anyway). However, I do agree with your earlier statement: 10 dollars is not fun and cute anymore and isn't worth just as much as it was in the 1950s. That goes for your customers as well. You have to work hard for that tip, and so do they.
He is directly his anger in the wrong When I eat out I am the customer of the restaurant, I am not the employer of the waitstaff. If I was I'd be able to choose which waiter I 'employed', I could get their credentials, if I found them lacking I could fire them and have another take over. Any restaurant that can not pay all of their staff at the very least a living wage is a failing business. Just because they can pay peanuts doesn't mean they should. That said I tip well unless service is appalling. As a customer it's not my fight.
If every server just strikes until places had to pay a fair wage and eliminate tipping like some overseas places this wouldn't be an issue. I think people are strapped enough not to be needed to be guilted into leaving huge tips for people choosing a job that pays c**p. The whole system is c**p. Fair wage is what would fix that whole thing. Then if people tipped on top of what a regular hour waged server made it would not be too bad. Servers sell themselves short taking these jobs that make them have to make posts and shame people like this. Strike guys and gals and etcs. Just. Strike. McDs pays an hour wage and so so fast food places. It's not fair this is still in the dark ages.
Most places don’t even have the server come back. Unless your at a tiny restaurant or some upscale place the server never returns to the table. So I should tip you a huge tip for taking my order and then bringing me food. But you couldn’t be bothered to refill my coffee or ask if I needed anything else. Be happy that I even gave you a tip at all.
You are okay with being actually paid less for a job and think its best to extort more money from people by blackmailing the system of tipping? Tipping is dependent on the observation of the customer. If they are satisfied they give away as much as they want. Its not your wages to demand from them. How dumb do you really need to be to settle for a lowly waging job? If you think 10$ an hour is your worth, you better not come whining about a 2$ tip. Because that is your worth. Raise your worth in wages and salaries rather than ranting about tips. If you talk back impolitely i have that reason enough to not tip at all because you have made me uncomfortable with your bad service. Dont be rude about something that follows the "customer is king" rule. The king gives away as he wishes, not as the servant demands... Pathetic!!
Yeah, employers should be paying more than $2.50/hr to they're servers, but they don't. Why? They aren't required too. The assumption is the tip makes up the actual wage. People have been fighting this pay discrepancy for DECADES. (We also don't have a living minimum wage) So yeah, if you get ANY service restaurant, hair stylist, delivery, give them a decent tip, full stop. Don't like it? Help fix it.
His employer should be paying him a livable wage so that they don't have to depend on tips to make ends meet. That said, being a shitty tipper whether they're being properly paid or not is still a d**k move.
Do customers owe you simply because you served them food? If you say yes then, how much should they owe you? Would it really kill you if a person with meager means decided to take his wife on their anniversary and were happy with your service, but left you a 5% tip because that is what they can afford? OR will you be happier if a person who was ill-mannered and called you stupid left you a 20% tip? You just need to grow up and deal with what life offers you on a day-to-day basis. Ranting is not going to get you anywhere. But being sweet and happy serving your customers in spite of whatever day you are having, will. Maybe that guy with meager means had the luck to get promoted and now became successful and never forgot how happily you served him & his wife and that smile never left your face in spite of the 5% tip. And now can tip you even more than 29%. It is all in the ATTITUDE. That is how you succeed. Pray that your manager won't see your tiktok rant. If it was me, you are fired.
I'd rather pay more for my food and servers make a living wage in the employer's dime. At the same time, if someone talked to me like that anywhere, I'd straight up leave and never go back. You'd lose my business. As Gordon Ramsey said how many times on Kitchen Nightmares, customers complain with their feet. Most won't complain directly to management, they just won't come anymore
This is probably going to be unpopular. I don't necessarily agree with raising the percentage. 10-15 percent of the bill. What's gone up? That base cost of the dinner. Down the years, it's gone up and up. But that percentage scales with the initial cost. I've known people who have given up their jobs to go back to wait staff, because those tips are so lucrative. I'd say, despite like most jobs where wage hasn't gone up, it's scaled up well in tips with the increasing cost of service.
Stopped eating out as much. Dinner is $300, we eat for an hour, and they want a $60 tip? So $60 an hour? But that’s not even a dedicated server, they still have 3-6 tables they expect the same from? Let’s stop playing the shell game. Honest wages with no expectation of a tip. Every time I have seen this come up, the servers say no, they want tips vs a higher flat wage because they will make more.
In Finland it's expected to get great service. If you work in customer service you absolutely have to give your best. You get a living wage and no one ever tips you. That's how it's supposed to be. You really have a f****d up system in the USA
I would be surprised if this guy tip for the electrical guy as well (he could just spin the cables together for the basic wage, but he does premium work). And also if your brakes are noisy on your car, the mechanics could use WD40 for that price and not to replace them.. fck this guy’s logic.
Why is this post so downvoted? It raises an important point- that American food service workers remain both severely overworked and severely underpaid. The companies that control the wages are the enemies here, not the workers or the customers.
Yes, tipping culture sucks in America, but it's the system and our servers depend on it to survive. Our kids learned to calculate a 20% tip when they were very young, and our rule was, if you can't afford to add 20% onto the price of your meal, you can't afford to eat out. This also goes for food delivery people, like DoorDash and UberEats. The delivery drivers get paid very little for the order, and rely on tips to cover their gas.
If I order a $20 meal at Applebees and the server takes my order, delivers my order and refills my drinks over the course of an hour and I tip you $5, you say that’s fair. If I go order a $200 meal at a fancy restaurant and the server does the exact same thing, takes my order, delivers my food and refills my drinks, how is that same service and labor now worth $50?
I totally agree should be amount of service not amount of sale.
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Europe here. When I tip somebody, it feels for me, as if I am giving a beggar some money to survive. And that is not fair. A beggar can leave his spot, when he has collected enough, but a server needs to stay, as s/he has a contract. Dear US, please add service in the price of your products, and pay a decent salary, that is automatically raised when the cost of living increases. Everybody deserves a decent pay for the work they do. No job should be depending on the goodwill of your customers.
Until the restaurant industry in the usa changes, tipping isn't going anywhere as the primary income of servers. When you don't tip you are literally causing them to work for free. It isn't right. But until it changes, if you don't want to tip then protest it by not giving your money to these restaurants. Withholding a tip is only punishing the employee, not the employer
Look, it's not my fault wait staff don't get paid enough. I will always tip well if they do a good job or I see they're busy and trying their damn best. But if I had this entitled a*****e as a waiter, you're not getting a good tip. If you confront me about a bad tip, I'm going to tell you it was because of your s**t attitude and bad service. I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot but I do expect waiters to do their job.
Seriously what the hell. How is this even a topic up for a discussion? It's my money. My EXTRA money. If I'm satisfied with the service, I'll leave a tip. It's an act of courtesy. It's not my fault your employer doesn't pay you enough. If you hate working as a waiter and making pennies, just quit. There are other jobs and you'll always find something. Your job as a waiter is to provide service, if I come to the restaurant, I'm entitled to service no matter if I leave a tip or not. That's my viewpoint as a person from a country where service workers are paid normal wages.
I worked in a restaurant long ago. I know how little it pays and how much it sucks. So I over-tip. The lower my bill, the higher percentage I tip, because serving me a small order is as much work as serving an expensive one. There have been many times my tip has been more than 100%. And if I'm paying cash, I'm not going to have the server break a $20 so I can tip them $12. Take the $20, because some cheapo (or several) under-tipped you.
I agree, tipping culture sucks bad. And this guy sounds very entitled. At one point he says "but without tips I would serve you like that: hey what do you want? I bring it to you all at once!" - but that is exactly what I want from a server??!? I don't want someone hovering over me asking if everything is alright all the time! And the one comment "people don't understand that their food would be more expensive" must be the single most stupid thing that I have read. The food IS already more expensive because of the TIPS!!!
This kid is really f****d up. I work in the service industry and I get paid to serve customers. And I give the best service I can even if it means multiple phone calls to do so. I do this because this is what the boss pays me to do. I DO NOT EVER expect a customer to give me a tip. Tell your boss he is a cheap prick and get out of the service industry. Your attitude really sucks.
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Tips should decrease as a %, as the bill increases. And no tips for 'to-go'.
The excuse that if employers paid their servers a living wage your meal would cost more doesn't fly in the reality where some restaurants (like Olive Garden) actually do pay their servers substantially more than $2.15/hr and these chain restaurants are considered 'family restaurants' where the meals are quite affordable. While Olive Garden pays more than $2.15/hr, $11.79/hr is hardly liveable and customers should not have to make up the difference especially for a company that is worth over $2 billion dollars.
Tipping sucks. If you need to have it to pay your staff, build it into the menu price in the first place. (you can even print on the bottom that 20% of the food price is for service) If the service sucks, I won't eat there again.
Sounds like someone is not giving the amazing service he says he is. Some people don’t tip. That’s part of being a server. I bet there are no complaints about the 50% tips. If you want a standard amount of money, stop being a server.
I always tip 20%, 25% if the service is excellent, 15% is if the person is horrible and that is very rare. This rubs me the wrong way though. I should not be responsible for paying the server's salary. I already paid for the food. The service should be included in the price of the experience and if the person is above and beyond a tip is appropriate. That said, I live in a tipping culture and I'm not going to make servers suffer. This entitlement is really off-putting though. Putting customers on the spot for not tipping well is extremely unprofessional and unacceptable. I
Personally yes you tip for the service you get, if I get okay service you'll get an okay tip (maybe £1 as I'm in UK) but if I get good service then you get a better tip. The last time I was on holiday in the US (it was a while ago) my server was awful and still expected a good tip (I rounded up to the nearest $10 so it was still around $5 and change) and I got chased down the street for more... No, I tip what I feel is deserved, but why should I - a customer be paying your wages? I'm damned sure employers could and should pay more, but all the time they don't have to then they won't.
The Tipping culture is messed up. Originally it was meant to come first, “To Insure Prompt Service”. Then it became a thank you for excellent service. So who made up the percentages over the years? Employers? Servers? If it mean the servers getting a living wage, I am happy to pay 15-20% more for the food and not have the hassle to figure out a tip each time.
Just an owner-nonsense excuse. Raise your prices to pay a fair wage. The meal in total is going to cost me the same but then at least a tip is only due for actual exceptional service. Another way tipping sux is that I can order a $30 steak or $10 burger and my table time and the server effort are the same but one bill will be about $33 while the other is maybe $11. So, on one check you get a $6.60 tip and on the other, you get $2.20 for the same effort. A real wage would correct that imbalance. No one should have to tip more because they want a $10 burger vs a $30 steak.
Tipping was 10%, then 12%, then 15% But now you want 20%... because you sneer at a $10 tip but accept a $2.13/hour job. I personally think restaurant owners should pay you more because in Euro they do. Lived there for 8_ years and you know the typical "tip".. if any... is rounding up to the next Euro.
Servers need to stop working for slave wages. And they are to some degree. This is why there are passive aggressive signs on businesses about being understaffed and closed. Minimum wage should be paid to every worker regardless of tipping and minimum wage should be a working wage. And, weirdly, when I travel I pay the same prices as I do in my home state, which pays full wages to service workers. BTW, I use to hear constantly how stupid I was to get a degree and work my way up when my friends made so much more in tips, but then one bad night and they are all over everyone about how bad people tip. Tips are nice. They shouldn't be your wages and that is something that needs to change. Does any state other than California guarantee the same minimum to servers (I think it's $15.50 an hour)?
A tip used to be a thank you for the service, it wasn't meant to be the server's wages, his/her employer should be paying a livable wage, as they do in most European countries. I have been a server, it's a tough job, I always tip 20% of the bill regardless of how good/poor the service was.
In Switzerland (where personel gets a living wage without tips), we only tip when the service was very good, to "pay the personel a coffee" as my grandmother used to call it by giving them like 5 CHF. It's beyond me why american personel blames customers instead of their employers for not being paid enough.
This is b******t. I live in germany. I never tip because the people get paid properly. Maybe not the highest of payments but they have a wage. Everything else would literally be illegal here. Food does not cost more if you pay your workers. That's so disturbing, that some people say stuff like that. Every time I think America could not be more f****d up you proof me wrong. SMH. This whole article is a dystopian nightmare. Tipping is a choice. Your boss should pay you. End of story. Customers should never be responsible for your wage.
If a couple each orders the most expensive item on the menu, three courses plus most expensive wine, coffee and a nice drink to finish, are you telling me that you deserve more money as a server than if the same couple were to have a glass of wine, and the cheapest dish for each course. Why? What did you do differently? Or are we saying that in the USA tipping is a dishonest, under the table tax on customers based on unfair employment practices? (It is OK I know the answer)
Maybe we should tip by the hours you use a server. Sounds more fair, especially as a server can serve multiple tables.
I thing there should arrive a viral agreement to tip zero to every server at every restaurant. Instead of a tip, create a symbol that means: Restaurant Workers' Salaries Matter. Enough of business owners pushing payroll responsibility to customers!! If it becomes viral, they will have to pay their workers a living wage
How's this Ben, I tell you I tip big and then I stiff you! Your the moron! Take note, the business you are working for will fire you, if they see you give bad service to their customer. lol
Just raise the menu price and pay a real wage. What is the difference between raising prices 20% AND ME LEAVING A 20% tip? In the end, I'm still paying more than the menu price in a place where tips are expected. Just raise the damn menu and pay a normal wage. That way I don't have to tip unless I really did receive exceptional service.
Tip well every time. The culture sucks but it is what we’ve got and servers rely on those tips. Tip well even if you have b ad service, and then tell the manager or whatnot. I raised all my tips an extra 5% at the beginning of the pandemic, making my minimum tip 25% every time. I eat out a little less, but at least I’m not being a Karen/d**k.
As a server, I want to say that I would be happy receiving a $10 tip on almost every ticket. The restaurant i work in is not super high end so the average ticket is between $30-$60. However, on a large majority of these tickets I get a $1-$5 tip, and I'm not able to live on those kinds of tips, especially when business is slow. Yes, I think this guy is a bit entitled but its truly astonishing how little money servers are expected to live on. And I'm fortunate because my hourly wage is $9.54. Can't imagine having hourly wage of $2 or $5, especially in this economy.
This whole debate reminds me of reservoir dogs, right at the beginning of the film, after they discuss what Madonna ment by like a virgin.
I think the best you can do is educate diners about tipping. Those who are educated and don’t tip well probably aren’t going to change, and conversely good tippers will continue to tip well.
TIP used to be an acronym for "To insure promptness". I always tip at least 20%, and my servers haven't threatened me with poor service if I don't.
You can't choose to work in a particular industry - your choice - knowing that's how it is, not like it/can't live off the pay, continue to stay and struggle - and then expect everyone else to make up for it. I am thoughtfully saying, choose work that treats and pays you properly! I believe you're capable, so should you. If you want the industry to change how they pay staff, stop working in these places, refuse to apply - let them know they're garbage in their compensation - and they'll have to do something if they ever want anyone to work for them. You deserve better! Will it take time to change the industry - yes! But it never will if people keep continuing to work these types of employers who are laughing all the way to the bank.
No, just no. You might think you are entitled to extra money because your job is somehow harder than other people'a jobs? Do you tip your doctor for a successfull surgery? Do you tip your teacher for preparing you for exams? Do you tip a policeman for finding your car? No? Well they are all service, aren't they. And their job is hard. If the only reason why I should tip is because your employer does not giving you good enough salary well then that is a pretty bad reason imho. I should not be responsible for that.
I'll keep the tip and the cost of the meal (which might not be all that good), and COOK. It'll cost me less and will, for sure, taste good. If I want ambiance, I'll turn on some music and light some candles. This inflation is NOT my fault, and my income has not gone up, so there's no way, I can just pay out a lot in tips. I doing good to take care of myself with today's prices.
Go ask your boss for a living wage! I'm Dutch but live in the US, my starting tip is 20% and can increase when I receive excellent service, but all this calling out customers on not giving enough makes me no longer want to tip at all. Maybe it's time everyone stops tipping so you force your employers hands instead of the customers.
Another post about a server angry over a tip, I am not saying they do or dont deserve it. But I dont feel like I should be required to tip someone, and the well dont go out to eat then is total b***s***. We tip based on the service we are provided not because the wait staff is being paid low wages by their employer. On 4th of July my wife just tipped the waitress $40 on a $100 bill, because she was amazing, probably the best service we have ever had anywhere. I would rather have to pay more for my food to give these people better wages then some c**p that i am required to tip. If you just come and take my order, possibly bring me my food (sometimes its brought by someone else) and then give me my check you probably wont get a good tip or any tip at all. Ive been a waitress for 2.13 an hour and relied on tips as part of my income, but I knew the performance factor played in to it. But demand I tip you or you wont get sh** extra from me. Talk to your cheap boss about a raise.
Ask servers if they WANT to abolish tipping and they will tell you on a busy night, no. They make more money on tips than they would on minimum wage - especially at high-end restaurants. Some places automatically tack on a tip, which is fine if you post it somewhere that I can know before I order. But if it’s expected, then I expect good service in return.
So what he is saying is that he needs to be paid additional to be nice. Tipping is a scam. As for the argument that if there was not any tipping the food would cost more, would it cost 20% more. And why a percentage? Do you get better service because you ordered a expensive steak rather that a hamburger? Probably not.
Honestly, tipping culture is a problem. Establishments should pay a living wage, they're the problem and tipping isn't the answer. It's a clever way to distract attention from where it actually belongs, placing it on the customer, rather than the employer.
And the IRS makes servers do tip reports so they can tax them. WTF
I worked in the service industry for years. A tip was and is not an expectation. It is a reward for the customer feeling that they received good service. The entitlement of this guy is unbelievable. People go to restaurants for the food and atmosphere... not the servers
Here's another question. Suppose you're getting something less expensive, and 20% ends up being less than a dollar (i.e. a drink from a coffee shop). Do you round up to the nearest dollar? As a coffee shop worker, would you think it's insulting to get 82 cents, even if that's over 20%?
If you don't want to live on handouts, get a real job. If you choose to wait tables, good and bad tipping is part of the game. I assume you don't refuse extra-big tips, so stop whining about the crappy ones.
Honest question, especially for restaurant workers in the USA. What is considered acceptable when you're getting pick-up/to-go food from a full service restaurant? Normally, you tip your server, but if you're getting pick-up, the only person that serves you is the cashier, and that's about 1 minute of work. They can get a lot more to-go customers through in the same amount of time, so smaller percentage tips would add up to more money. Or, is 20% still expected?
"...move it by one decimal point..." Gotcha, instead of a 10% tip, you want a 1% tip! Damn son...you're easy to please! :)
Living in Canada where the tipping culture is a thing, I have a big problem with this. If I order a $10 salad, you expect a $2 tip (fine) but if I go to the same restaurant and order a$50 salad, you expect a $10 tip?!?!? I got the same service, the server didnt do more or less (took the order, gave it to the kitchen, brought the plate, asked if everything was ok. No more then the service for the $10 salad)... The price of the items on the menu shouldn't dictate the amount of the tip.
Throw the tipping culture away and pass laws forcing employers to pay appropriately! As if it wasn't contentious before, now every fall place I go to whether the employees are serving me or not (self serve/casual dining) asks for a tip. I don't even know what to do anymore.
Unfortunately this is how it works in the US but it's not like consumers don't know this is the system. You know tipping is what you're supposed to do. People are just being cheap.
I used to serve in my 20s. Bad tippers who dared to return would always be ignored until every single other person in the restaurant is served and I mean EVERYONE, and even then I might still wait a bit to serve you (because I want you to walk out and never come back). Same for people who don't tip me on take out. If you don't think you should tip on takeout, then you shouldn't expect me to waste my time preparing your s**t for you. After you pay me, if it's s**t, you can go pick up and bag and your own s**t because I don't f*****g care. Oh and all the s**t you leave behind, it gets thrown in the garbage. I'm not running a lost and found for assholes. Oh, and you don't want to f**k with people that are feeding you food. The things I've seen people do to people's food is beyond what you can even imagine. So take your f*****g stance and behave like an ignorant European in a North American country (the internet makes figuring out customs miraculously easy).
Yeah, it's not ignorance. It's because your custom is stupid and you are unable to behave like adults and take it up with the people who are actually responsible for paying you, ie. your employers.
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ok. what is the minimal wage in the US? 15€ or so? If you have only 4 tables and each is giving you a 10€ tip, you already have 40€ for say a max of 2 hours of your time which is already 20€/hour. isnt that enough if you are also getting a wage? do you work there for free or what? please explain because it doesnt make sense to me. In my country I get less than 10€/hour before tax and it is considered a slightly above average. So I would already tip you more than what is my wage if I ever come to the US.
Some people never lived in Japan and it shows. Look, Ben wants money for what he does, that's fair, but he expects that money to come to him directly from the customer, as if the customer hired him. Servers don't go through a vetting process from each person that walks in the restaurant. Ben is not the customer's employee, he is the employee of the restaurant. Charge more for the food. Pay servers enough to provide great service. Never expect a tip.
US servers be worse than beggars, at least beggars are happy with whatever amount you give them, as it's gratuity, ffs!! Seems like the whole system there is broken if you need to beg for money while having a full time job
yet another reason i'm not a proud american. blame the f*****g employer not the customers. although it's good to tip until the wage problem for servers is solved, he's directing his anger toward the wrong people.
IF I am satisfied with your service I will tip you. If all you do is to come over 2 minutes after ainget my food asking: "is everything fine?" And I afterwards have to chase you down, to get more food, drink, pay.. I am NOT gonna give you a tip at all, no matter how low your income is.
As inflation gets worse, your tips will be less! Why go out to eat when I can cook the same foods at home at a fraction of the cost and have leftovers for the next day? When money gets tight and thanks to the democrats and Biden things are really bad, one of first things people cut out IS eating out. Going to the movies. Buy the DVDs or Blu Rays and watch it at your leisure. Buy popcorn from QVC Farmer Jon's hulless popcorn and you need never go to the movies again. Stop buying pre made cookies and other sweets and making them at home. People will give up that which is not necessary.
I agree 100%. Withininflation and rising prices in the US as a server, don’t disrespect me with five dollar tip if I’ve cater to your every need. When you’re at home you need to cook you need to serve yourself you need to clean your dishes you need to make your own beverage. When you go out to eat we do that for you. This isn’t new this is how it works. The same way you tip your hairdresser even though you paid for style is the same way you tip your server who does it make a cut for styling your hair or cooking your food.
If you think I should pay for you to bring me food what do you get salary for? 5 dollars is a disrespect to you? In some countries people have to feed their family for 5 USD per day. You are the one being disrespectful behaving as if people owe you something. They dont. The employer is the one paying you for your work. Btw do you also tip teachers, policemen, firefighters, cashiers and other service people? No you dont. Why? Because they have a better wage? Again, you were made to believe it is the customers dault while it is the employer scamming you.
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If I walked into a restaurant and he worked there, I would turn around, walk out and tell everyone I knew not to frequent that restaurant! He has a bad, nasty attitude! Yelling at customers or potential customers will never serve ANYONE well! I DO NOT NEED HIM! HE NEEDS ME! Just like an entertainer. Insulting your fan base, audience will not serve you well! The Dixie Chicks when they mouthed off about GW Bush. They accused him of censorship. He didn't cause them to have to cancel concerts. They insulted people and people where so offended they refused to attend their concerts. Pink last week, people got up and walked out of her concert. People don't like to be preached to by people whose only job is to provide a service. If people want to be preached to, they can go to church or call their Mom or I can give you my Mom's phone number if your mother has passed.
My god! He might as well be begging on the street. Challenging customers? Fire him.
American here…my takeaway from this article is this guy’s arrogance and entitlement is off the charts! I have no problem tipping. I do not understand why it is allowed in the US to pay restaurant workers below minimum wage and expect the patrons to make up the difference. However, in my state if the employee does not make enough in tips to reach the federal minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference so in the end, the employee is in fact getting minimum wage.
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Your tipping culture sucks. I pay for the meal, your employer is supposed to pay your wages. A tip should be a little thank you, not what you have to live on.
I would rather pay more for my food and tip what I feel is appropriate than be spoken to or regarded like that. Guess I’m lucky not to live in the US.
I wouldn't want a lecture from a server, either, but I'm also aware that their base pay is terrible. In Canada, the minimum wage for servers is lower than for other workers. I'm assuming it's the same all over the US.
Load More Replies... Yeah, blame the customer and not your boss who pays you 5$/h... What's wrong with you Americans that you think this is normal? Waiters earn between 25-30$/h where I live and guess what, tipping is something you can do if service was excellent but nobody will bat a eye if you don't tip on a 200$ meal.
We think it's normal but that doesn't mean we like it. Our waiters shouldn't need to live off tips. Also, like Moxie said, not all of us Americans think like him.
Load More Replies... Wow. What an entitled @ssh0le. Threatening customers that don't tip what you think they should? I'd be going somewhere else for dinner.
Gotta laugh when people say that if restaurants pay a better wage your food will cost more - it IS costing more, 20% more - why not just increase prices by 20% and pay a living wage?
They don't *want* to acknowledge the proportionality of raising wages versus raising prices. And those that do acknowledge it who are business owners *still* spout this nonsense because raising costs and raising prices can still have a knock-on effect on their bottom line, aka their profit margins if only because of the PR aspect of price increases (i.e. Restaurant X has put their prices up by a dollar - I'm not eating there. But they've also raised their staff wages by five dollars. Don't care - the prices have gone up so that's money out of MY wallet [continued bigoted, idiotic grumbling]). And the reason for this is classist - servers are LOWER than me, why should they get paid more than what I think they deserve. [Sorry, I've wandered into my own rant here, I'm off for a nap]
Load More Replies... Going out to eat is not necessarily a luxury, like somebody claimed above. Maybe one is in a trip for work and have to eat out. What is weird is what BP says in their article: "there are always some who try to abuse the system and pay for nothing more than their meals." It is the employers who is abusing the system, but not paying a decent wage, not the customer!
You can moan all you want to mate, you’ve been brainwashed to think the customers should pay your wage. Where you work is meant to be paying you, not the diners.
It isn't brainwashing, it is reality. Do you really think that we all would love to change this system? But it will not happen. We live in a capitalist country, where screwing over as many people as possible to make as much money as possible is considered normal, and in some groups, "good business". To change this would require a major shift in our entire society and government. All the cities in all the counties in all the states would all have to get on the same page and agree to paying livable wages.......it effing sucks
Load More Replies... Dumbest thing ever. Why should the consumer bare the cost of your diminished income. 20% on the bill excluding tax is a lot in my opinion. I did some work on this topic for some American student and I was shocked to discover the concept of tipped wage. From what I read it also has racist and classist origins, and is inherently discriminatory as some workers may get tipped less for factors outside their control ( appearance, race etc).
If servers start confronting people about their tips, you're going to see a lot of servers getting fired after patrons complain to their managers. Or people will stop going to that restaurant and servers will be laid off. This kind of attitude is exactly what's wrong with tipping culture and why it needs to be eliminated in the U.S.
If a server confronted me about a supposed previous “bad tip”, first of all I’d tell that person that the reason for the bad tip was bad service, and then I would immediately call for the manager (in a non-Karen way.) I do not expect someone to wait on me hand and foot at a restaurant, but I do expect to have servers do their jobs. It’s not my problem if they feel I don’t tip enough.
Load More Replies... America is so weird! Why do servers have to live off tips! Seriously, just pay them a living wage.
"If I'm not entitled to a tip, you're not entitled to good service" - hun, that's what your salary is for. If you're not going to provide a good service, then what are you getting paid for? Instead of pestering the customers, go ask your employer why they don't think you deserve a living wage. Inflation is affecting everyone else too, be grateful you're getting any tips at all.
I'm not defending the video here because that kid does sound whiny and entitled. But whether servers should be paid a living wage isn't the issue here. They're not. And the reason they're paid so little ($3.28/HR when I served) is because it is expected that they would receive tips. On top of that, they have to tip out minimum 3% of their sales to bussers, bartenders, and others. That's whether they get tipped or not. So if you stiff a server, it just cost the server to wait on you. Regardless of what it SHOULD be, this is what it IS. And you think they're immune to inflation? No. Undertipping or not tipping at all because you don't like the status quo is a d**k move that hurts no one but the server trying to make rent.
Load More Replies... Here in Italy we don't tip. Tip are for work beyond the normal.
Yes, but wages are living wages, not 50% of the legal minimum that US law permits in restaurants _because_ the IRS expects the waiter to get the tips!
Load More Replies... 20% on top of the price is nuts. Glad I'm not in the USA! And the brainwashing that it's the customer at fault not the employer is scary. I agreed a wage with my employer and that's what I'm paid. If I perform well then I might get a small bonus at the end of the year but it's not guaranteed as depends on other factors besides my performance. I don't expect tips for doing what I'm paid to do and certainly wouldn't do a worse job for not getting tipped. If I go out and service is very good then I'll tip 10% but it needs to be above and beyond taking my order then bringing it to me whilst being vaguely polite.
Agreed, also what is the logic behind it being a percentage anyway? Is it more work to carry a plate of fries over to someone's table than a steak?
Load More Replies... Almost every restaurant in Europe offers a good dining experience without the need to tip. I am talking about the same experience that the this person says deserves a 20% tip. You want to know why? Because workers are paid a livable wage.
Yes! And while I do tip when I find the meal and/or the service excellent, it's never an obligation. And because a tip is not expected, servers are usually genuinely happy when I tip. It's a little bonus, not a part of their wage.
Load More Replies... I would actually love it if a server just brought out everything I asked for all at once, and then left me alone for the entire meal, and then I just got to leave as soon as I was done. Doesn't mean I want to have to eat Mcdonalds food
That’s my dream experience! I’d never be eating and just randomly ask for more or different food halfway through the meal and I hate being trapped at the end waiting for the bill when I want to leave.
Load More Replies... It doesn't make sense to tip a percentage of the bill. Serving two courses is the same amount of work whether the price is £ 20 or 200.
If the tips were getting split with the kitchen staff, I'd get it since a more expensive meal takes more skill. But otherwise it doesn't make sense.
Load More Replies... Yet another problem with America the land of the free. Capitalism and greed. Who wants to have the simple experience of just eating out ruined by the glaring and begging eyes of servers who, more often than not, expect to go home with hundreds of dollars in their pocket and for what? Doing a job they should be properly paid for in the first place? Your over the top tipping culture is insane and vulgar. Jesus, when I was there I actually had a regular person just hold out their hand to me for a tip after I asked for directions. They even apologised after they realised what they unconsciously did, so go figure.
Keep the slaves hating each other so they can't stand together. While every poor sod is salivating and snarling and hissing over that tiny slice of the pie, the wolves go home with a fat wallet. Can't say I blame him for that narrowmindedness. It's a common theme through history. If you deprive a people enough, they will regress to their most basic instincts.
I always tip atleast 20% when I go out to eat but I disagree with this guys rant. You got into the service industry knowing the pros and cons...so to say your performance depends on what the customer tips is wrong. Your performance is a reflection of the owner, and they can lose business over it. So you should rant at the supervisor/owner about your pay.
He should blow up on his employer, not the customers. Times right now are difficult for many of us, not only him. Maybe that, what he calls a cute littler 5 or 10$ also means a lot to the granddaughter who saved up money to treat her Nan on her 80th birthday.
Honestly, I'm a little afraid to eat out these days because of these types of rants from servers. I've completely stopped speaking up if my order is wrong because I'm worried the servers will spit In the corrected order. My strategy is to just stop going to any place that gives me lower quality food or service. I don't know when expected tips went up from 10 percent to 20+ percent, but I really hate the complaints from the servers.
I hate the whole 'don't f*** with people who are handling your food' it's disgusting! I'm not saying customers should be rewarded when they are clear a********s but you should be able to send food back if it clearly isn't right without fear that someone will contaminate your food.
Load More Replies... Why did you post this? It's NOT the customers' responsibility to pay those workers' wages! Stop putting the blame on us. That's what the corporate bosses want you to think.
I have worked in the service industry in the US. I always tip 20-25%. I still find this person's rant wholly unacceptable. If you don't understand what a gratuity is, try a dictionary or Wikipedia. If you don't like the system, change it. But it's not the public's fault you made the choices you made. It sucks, but spend your time trying to change the rules, not shame people who are probably doing their best.
This guy comes across as a total d**k. You are paid to do a job, if you do not think that you are being paid enough to do that job, then take it up with your employer or find a different job. It is up to your employer to pay your wages, not the customer. I will always tip for good service but I refuse to leave a tip for someone who provides mediocre service just because their employer does not pay them what they want to be paid.
I think the bigger issue is tipping exists. If you do a job successfully you should be paid a livable wage. If not the place of employment should fire you or retrain you. Or not be a place of employment. Idk why tipping started if it was always just an extra thing for really exceptional service im down but it shouldn't be a wage decider. Just pay a livable wage and don't vote for anyone who voted for a 1% er tax break.
This guy is an a hole. I hate tipping culture and if you need it to live you should get a better paying job, I've paid for my meal etc why should I give an extra 20% for staff? All they do is bring the food over and ask occasionally if they can get you anything else. When I go food shopping I don't tip, when I pay my gas bill I don't tip, when I buy petrol I don't tip etc....
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Load More Replies... That's why I NEVER tip. I pay for a product or a service, your salary is your employer's responsibility, not mine...
The problem isn't the customers not paying the tips you need to be able to live, the problem is you're not being paid a fair salary by the employer. Targeting customers by shaming them because you think that's easier than challenging your employer isn't going to increase your income but make people want to go elsewhere. As we say in the UK, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Pay people! I have eaten in the same chain restaurant in states in which the people are paid $16.00 an hour or more and in states where they are allowed to pay $2.13 an hour. The food costs the same. Don't let your cheap bosses pit customer against server. And then start working on two things. Start working to raise the minimum wage in your state. Then start a movement in your state to make them pay servers the minimum wage everyone else gets. Red states are most likely to expect servers and other tipped workers to work for nothing.
This dude is a raging douchebag. If he's complaining about $10 tips then I bet he's probably doing alright. All it takes is one $10 tip an hour to be doing better than the the masses of people out there busting a*s for $7.25 an hour. I've been a waitress and yes it sucks when you get no or low tips but demanding 20% as a default has always struck me as kind of insane. I've gotten better and more service on a $20 breakfast at Denny's than a $200 steak dinner but I'm supposed to give the Denny's server $4 and the server at the fancy place $40 just because the food cost more? That's stupid.
Tipping culture in the United States is absolutely mind-boggling and antiquated. For the life of me I can’t understand why you can’t pay your employees a decent living wage. The customer isn’t to blame-it is this horrible tipping culture that most of the US refuses to change.
He needs to find another job that caters to his whining. He's there to do a job, whether or not he's tipped.
German here, not at all familiar with the tipping culture of the USA... can anyone explain to me why the waiter's tip is based on the cost of my food? Like, 10%, 20%, WHY? What does it matter to the server if I order a soup for 5$ or a lobster dinner for 100$? The lobster's more work for the cook, sure, but I'm not tipping the cook. I'm tipping the server. How does the cost of my food affect the server? I guess it makes sense when somebody orders multiple items, but somebody who orders 3 appetizers and 4 drinks and pays 35$ for it still has to tip less than somebody who orders one big meal and one drink for 60$, despite the fact that the first one was more work for the server than the second one. Why isn't the tip based on the amount of things you ordered? That would make much more sense.
Because the USA is the land of the corrupt and greedy. The government likes to s**t on its own people more than anyone else.
Load More Replies... Man what a greedy little twat. 10% isn't enough? Be happy people even give you that. It's not the customers job to make you get a proper wage, it's your jobs. If you don't like the pay and tips go find another job. This server sounds incredibly rude and self centered. I'm gonna say he gets bad tips because of his attitude
Been there.. lived that.. Waited on someone who ordered $400+ worth of apps and booze for his party. Tipped me $5. I was not allowed to complain about tips, but I did ask if there was "something wrong with his service"... it led to an open discussion on American server pay (also frowned upon), but it did change his view and tipping; I appreciated that.
And guess what "if you don't tip you shouldn't eat out" . When we stop eating out, you dear Ben will be without a job. Please evaluate your attitude towards those customers thanks to whom your job even exists.
That's actually hilarious. When I saw it I knew this kid is from LA. Servers in LA nowadays don't do anything but say "hi" to a table and click a few buttons. They have other ppl doing all the actual work, yet they make the most money. In fact, servers at good restaurants make more than 100K a year, so... hard to see why. I literally work at a restaurant on weekends and feel they don't deserve the money they make nowadays. I also worked as a server when I was younger and back then I actually earned every dollar because I actually served people and worked hard.
I'm a bit confused about this. If this guy is saying $10 is not a good enough tip, I'm wondering how many tables he waits on each day. If I was a waiter, working five days a week, and I wait on 20 tables a day (not unreasonable when I was young and waitering), that's $200 a day (plus his wages), which equals at least $1000 in tips (plus wages) a week! How is he complaining about this?
Has this child lost his mind? Just like someone said when did the requirements for tipping change? What he said in his rant is extremely rude and you can bet your sweet bibby that he is rude to his customers. Whatever his tips may be he will not be satisfied. One more thing who are these servers to tell us what sort of restaurants to patronize. If he had come across in a nicer tone I might have had a sympathy for him. And I do mean very little. Feeling entitled is not a birth right.
Some tourist save for a long time to just go to America. The wages regular People earn here are fairly low compared to what a waiter earns in the US. Of even 50people tip 5$ in a day, you'll earn more than me.
If I go to a restaurant. The steak was $15 steak or went to a more expensive place and the steak is $30. Should I leave twice as much tip? Did you provide twice as much service just because the food was more expensive. Tipping should not be based on the price,
He had me until the "You're not holding up your end of the deal" line. I held up my end of the deal by paying my bill at the end of the meal. This is coming from someone who tips regardless of the level of service, having someone threaten to lecture me if I don't meet their tipping requirement is a load of c**p.
Well, let's start out with the falsehood.... "as the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is only $2.13 an hour."...that actually isn't entirely true. Yes that is the required base salary, but the regulations go on to read that if the servers tips plus base salary do not total out to AT LEAST the standard federal minimum wage, then the restaraunt has to make up the difference. ALL servers get at least the full federal minimum wage...not just $2.13 per hour. That is a FACT. Second, this server acts like every single serve gives good service and every experience we have a every restaraunt is great.......that is just simply not true, and if I have bad service, I should not be expected to pay a high tip for that bad service. Lastly, this guy talks like he feels he is better than all those eating where he works and that they OWE him respect. Life doesn't work that way...other than human decency, you earn the respect you get....it is not given to you. He really needs to grow up
OK, i understand that in the US the wages really sucks and tipping is part of the server`s wage. But how this still should be dependent of the total cost of the bill. Serving a glass of iced water and simple meal is same amount of work as serving expensive wine with expensive steak..
I don't care what other Americans say. A tip is not mandatory. It is literally an acronym defined: "to insure prompt[service]" or for exceptional service. Not mandatory. No matter how much you are shamed, no one is entitled to your money. If they do, that's literally a scam that everyone believes and expects.
A business owner pays little because they *expect* their servers to earn more through tips. Servers *rely* on those tips. If you shame customers into paying for more instead of doing something about it, you're just making the problem worse.
Load More Replies... Wow. This post is fascinating. And the number of people criticising the US system kinda says it all. A tip is a complement, not a mandatory gratitude for doing your bloody job. Imagine if other professionals did that aside from hospitality? And as much as I love holidaying in the states, this mentality really pisses me off. You poured a can of coke into a glass with ice... and you want a tip??? No. Not happening. Wealthiest country on the planet yet chronic poverty, disproportionate homelessness, mass unemployment, unaffordable healthcare, no maternity leave, shite annual leave, a penal system that operates from profit. What an utter f*****g mess!! What is wrong with this place that they can't have an upheaval or revolution and just change some of this stuff?? Oh wait, they're going backwards - the still believe in god and women's rights are diminishing at a rapid rate of knots.
I’m a 20% tipper, and I am sick of it. I was a waitress and bartender for years, regardless, I’m sick of it. Restaurants that used to be $20 per head are $40-$50, that’s way more the the rising costs of everything else. Meanwhile, I’m watching (my previously favorite) restaurant owner buying a Grand Prix car and racing…? Like what? There is rising costs to match inflation and then there is price gouging your clientele. Tipping $4 on $20 versus $10 on $50 is crazy, for the exact same meal. F- that. I am eating out less now then during the pandemic. I am a great cook, restaurants are full of unknowns, unknown sanitation, ingredients, servers and cooks, I will just keep eating food I prepare myself.
Tips used to stand for To Improve Proper Service and was given IN ADVANCE to ensure such service; a service above what usually could be counted on. I have been quite a few times to the US and have eaten at restaurants. The service has more often than not been quite normal - not bad, not exceptional. Still you expect me to pay a large tip (and yes, on a 250$ bill, 50-75$ is quite a lot for average service)? For what? And why is it a percentage that matters?? Is the service worth more or perceived better if I order a fancier dish? Is it harder to pour an expensive wine than a cheap one? I completely agree with lots of other comments here, that employers should pay staff decent salaries instead. By all means - add 10% on prices, but do NOT expect to pay additionally for standard (as can be expected) or poor service.
At better restaurant establishments, that have the nads, there is a tipping system built in on large parties, especially, any party larger than a four top. The tip is added in at the end. Yet, I have seen such hissy fits you would not believe over this 15 percent added in tip, which is clearly stated on menus. And some people act like they are getting by with something by not tipping. Let us be clear. The additional 15-25 percent, whether collected by raising pricing or required tipping all leads to the same 20-25 meal as a median rule, up to your highest prices which can vary.
If, in the opinion of the customer, the service is below average, the tip should be below average. Too many servers believe that their service is beyond reproach. Learn from the criticism and improve.
I will NOT be dictated on how much tip I should leave! I tip according to the service I receive. I have had a $10.00 meal and left a $20.00 tip. Why? The service was fantastic, the person who waited on me was nice and cordial and my meal was prepared exactly how I requested it to be. This one restaurant that is family dining, I ask to sit in this one waitresses section always. Why? The menu says green beans or corn, she lets me have a little of both. I love that.
I guess this is how it works in the US. But I'm not American, I'm Dutch. I live in the Netherlands, which is a small country in Europe where servers don't have to rely on tipping by customers. Servers in the Netherlands earn indeed a minimal wage salary, which is over 14 euro (about $ 15) an hour. And guess what? The food costs less than it does in the US. Whenever I'm in the US I'm always surprised how quickly I run out of money when eating out, even if I'm not tipping (which, in general, I do because I know how the American system works and nine times out of ten I'm on vacation so I spent money more easily then anyway). However, I do agree with your earlier statement: 10 dollars is not fun and cute anymore and isn't worth just as much as it was in the 1950s. That goes for your customers as well. You have to work hard for that tip, and so do they.
He is directly his anger in the wrong When I eat out I am the customer of the restaurant, I am not the employer of the waitstaff. If I was I'd be able to choose which waiter I 'employed', I could get their credentials, if I found them lacking I could fire them and have another take over. Any restaurant that can not pay all of their staff at the very least a living wage is a failing business. Just because they can pay peanuts doesn't mean they should. That said I tip well unless service is appalling. As a customer it's not my fight.
If every server just strikes until places had to pay a fair wage and eliminate tipping like some overseas places this wouldn't be an issue. I think people are strapped enough not to be needed to be guilted into leaving huge tips for people choosing a job that pays c**p. The whole system is c**p. Fair wage is what would fix that whole thing. Then if people tipped on top of what a regular hour waged server made it would not be too bad. Servers sell themselves short taking these jobs that make them have to make posts and shame people like this. Strike guys and gals and etcs. Just. Strike. McDs pays an hour wage and so so fast food places. It's not fair this is still in the dark ages.
Most places don’t even have the server come back. Unless your at a tiny restaurant or some upscale place the server never returns to the table. So I should tip you a huge tip for taking my order and then bringing me food. But you couldn’t be bothered to refill my coffee or ask if I needed anything else. Be happy that I even gave you a tip at all.
You are okay with being actually paid less for a job and think its best to extort more money from people by blackmailing the system of tipping? Tipping is dependent on the observation of the customer. If they are satisfied they give away as much as they want. Its not your wages to demand from them. How dumb do you really need to be to settle for a lowly waging job? If you think 10$ an hour is your worth, you better not come whining about a 2$ tip. Because that is your worth. Raise your worth in wages and salaries rather than ranting about tips. If you talk back impolitely i have that reason enough to not tip at all because you have made me uncomfortable with your bad service. Dont be rude about something that follows the "customer is king" rule. The king gives away as he wishes, not as the servant demands... Pathetic!!
Yeah, employers should be paying more than $2.50/hr to they're servers, but they don't. Why? They aren't required too. The assumption is the tip makes up the actual wage. People have been fighting this pay discrepancy for DECADES. (We also don't have a living minimum wage) So yeah, if you get ANY service restaurant, hair stylist, delivery, give them a decent tip, full stop. Don't like it? Help fix it.
His employer should be paying him a livable wage so that they don't have to depend on tips to make ends meet. That said, being a shitty tipper whether they're being properly paid or not is still a d**k move.
Do customers owe you simply because you served them food? If you say yes then, how much should they owe you? Would it really kill you if a person with meager means decided to take his wife on their anniversary and were happy with your service, but left you a 5% tip because that is what they can afford? OR will you be happier if a person who was ill-mannered and called you stupid left you a 20% tip? You just need to grow up and deal with what life offers you on a day-to-day basis. Ranting is not going to get you anywhere. But being sweet and happy serving your customers in spite of whatever day you are having, will. Maybe that guy with meager means had the luck to get promoted and now became successful and never forgot how happily you served him & his wife and that smile never left your face in spite of the 5% tip. And now can tip you even more than 29%. It is all in the ATTITUDE. That is how you succeed. Pray that your manager won't see your tiktok rant. If it was me, you are fired.
I'd rather pay more for my food and servers make a living wage in the employer's dime. At the same time, if someone talked to me like that anywhere, I'd straight up leave and never go back. You'd lose my business. As Gordon Ramsey said how many times on Kitchen Nightmares, customers complain with their feet. Most won't complain directly to management, they just won't come anymore
This is probably going to be unpopular. I don't necessarily agree with raising the percentage. 10-15 percent of the bill. What's gone up? That base cost of the dinner. Down the years, it's gone up and up. But that percentage scales with the initial cost. I've known people who have given up their jobs to go back to wait staff, because those tips are so lucrative. I'd say, despite like most jobs where wage hasn't gone up, it's scaled up well in tips with the increasing cost of service.
Stopped eating out as much. Dinner is $300, we eat for an hour, and they want a $60 tip? So $60 an hour? But that’s not even a dedicated server, they still have 3-6 tables they expect the same from? Let’s stop playing the shell game. Honest wages with no expectation of a tip. Every time I have seen this come up, the servers say no, they want tips vs a higher flat wage because they will make more.
In Finland it's expected to get great service. If you work in customer service you absolutely have to give your best. You get a living wage and no one ever tips you. That's how it's supposed to be. You really have a f****d up system in the USA
I would be surprised if this guy tip for the electrical guy as well (he could just spin the cables together for the basic wage, but he does premium work). And also if your brakes are noisy on your car, the mechanics could use WD40 for that price and not to replace them.. fck this guy’s logic.
Why is this post so downvoted? It raises an important point- that American food service workers remain both severely overworked and severely underpaid. The companies that control the wages are the enemies here, not the workers or the customers.
Yes, tipping culture sucks in America, but it's the system and our servers depend on it to survive. Our kids learned to calculate a 20% tip when they were very young, and our rule was, if you can't afford to add 20% onto the price of your meal, you can't afford to eat out. This also goes for food delivery people, like DoorDash and UberEats. The delivery drivers get paid very little for the order, and rely on tips to cover their gas.
If I order a $20 meal at Applebees and the server takes my order, delivers my order and refills my drinks over the course of an hour and I tip you $5, you say that’s fair. If I go order a $200 meal at a fancy restaurant and the server does the exact same thing, takes my order, delivers my food and refills my drinks, how is that same service and labor now worth $50?
I totally agree should be amount of service not amount of sale.
Load More Replies... Europe here. When I tip somebody, it feels for me, as if I am giving a beggar some money to survive. And that is not fair. A beggar can leave his spot, when he has collected enough, but a server needs to stay, as s/he has a contract. Dear US, please add service in the price of your products, and pay a decent salary, that is automatically raised when the cost of living increases. Everybody deserves a decent pay for the work they do. No job should be depending on the goodwill of your customers.
Until the restaurant industry in the usa changes, tipping isn't going anywhere as the primary income of servers. When you don't tip you are literally causing them to work for free. It isn't right. But until it changes, if you don't want to tip then protest it by not giving your money to these restaurants. Withholding a tip is only punishing the employee, not the employer
Look, it's not my fault wait staff don't get paid enough. I will always tip well if they do a good job or I see they're busy and trying their damn best. But if I had this entitled a*****e as a waiter, you're not getting a good tip. If you confront me about a bad tip, I'm going to tell you it was because of your s**t attitude and bad service. I don't expect to be waited on hand and foot but I do expect waiters to do their job.
Seriously what the hell. How is this even a topic up for a discussion? It's my money. My EXTRA money. If I'm satisfied with the service, I'll leave a tip. It's an act of courtesy. It's not my fault your employer doesn't pay you enough. If you hate working as a waiter and making pennies, just quit. There are other jobs and you'll always find something. Your job as a waiter is to provide service, if I come to the restaurant, I'm entitled to service no matter if I leave a tip or not. That's my viewpoint as a person from a country where service workers are paid normal wages.
I worked in a restaurant long ago. I know how little it pays and how much it sucks. So I over-tip. The lower my bill, the higher percentage I tip, because serving me a small order is as much work as serving an expensive one. There have been many times my tip has been more than 100%. And if I'm paying cash, I'm not going to have the server break a $20 so I can tip them $12. Take the $20, because some cheapo (or several) under-tipped you.
I agree, tipping culture sucks bad. And this guy sounds very entitled. At one point he says "but without tips I would serve you like that: hey what do you want? I bring it to you all at once!" - but that is exactly what I want from a server??!? I don't want someone hovering over me asking if everything is alright all the time! And the one comment "people don't understand that their food would be more expensive" must be the single most stupid thing that I have read. The food IS already more expensive because of the TIPS!!!
This kid is really f****d up. I work in the service industry and I get paid to serve customers. And I give the best service I can even if it means multiple phone calls to do so. I do this because this is what the boss pays me to do. I DO NOT EVER expect a customer to give me a tip. Tell your boss he is a cheap prick and get out of the service industry. Your attitude really sucks.
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Tips should decrease as a %, as the bill increases. And no tips for 'to-go'.
The excuse that if employers paid their servers a living wage your meal would cost more doesn't fly in the reality where some restaurants (like Olive Garden) actually do pay their servers substantially more than $2.15/hr and these chain restaurants are considered 'family restaurants' where the meals are quite affordable. While Olive Garden pays more than $2.15/hr, $11.79/hr is hardly liveable and customers should not have to make up the difference especially for a company that is worth over $2 billion dollars.
Tipping sucks. If you need to have it to pay your staff, build it into the menu price in the first place. (you can even print on the bottom that 20% of the food price is for service) If the service sucks, I won't eat there again.
Sounds like someone is not giving the amazing service he says he is. Some people don’t tip. That’s part of being a server. I bet there are no complaints about the 50% tips. If you want a standard amount of money, stop being a server.
I always tip 20%, 25% if the service is excellent, 15% is if the person is horrible and that is very rare. This rubs me the wrong way though. I should not be responsible for paying the server's salary. I already paid for the food. The service should be included in the price of the experience and if the person is above and beyond a tip is appropriate. That said, I live in a tipping culture and I'm not going to make servers suffer. This entitlement is really off-putting though. Putting customers on the spot for not tipping well is extremely unprofessional and unacceptable. I
Personally yes you tip for the service you get, if I get okay service you'll get an okay tip (maybe £1 as I'm in UK) but if I get good service then you get a better tip. The last time I was on holiday in the US (it was a while ago) my server was awful and still expected a good tip (I rounded up to the nearest $10 so it was still around $5 and change) and I got chased down the street for more... No, I tip what I feel is deserved, but why should I - a customer be paying your wages? I'm damned sure employers could and should pay more, but all the time they don't have to then they won't.
The Tipping culture is messed up. Originally it was meant to come first, “To Insure Prompt Service”. Then it became a thank you for excellent service. So who made up the percentages over the years? Employers? Servers? If it mean the servers getting a living wage, I am happy to pay 15-20% more for the food and not have the hassle to figure out a tip each time.
Just an owner-nonsense excuse. Raise your prices to pay a fair wage. The meal in total is going to cost me the same but then at least a tip is only due for actual exceptional service. Another way tipping sux is that I can order a $30 steak or $10 burger and my table time and the server effort are the same but one bill will be about $33 while the other is maybe $11. So, on one check you get a $6.60 tip and on the other, you get $2.20 for the same effort. A real wage would correct that imbalance. No one should have to tip more because they want a $10 burger vs a $30 steak.
Tipping was 10%, then 12%, then 15% But now you want 20%... because you sneer at a $10 tip but accept a $2.13/hour job. I personally think restaurant owners should pay you more because in Euro they do. Lived there for 8_ years and you know the typical "tip".. if any... is rounding up to the next Euro.
Servers need to stop working for slave wages. And they are to some degree. This is why there are passive aggressive signs on businesses about being understaffed and closed. Minimum wage should be paid to every worker regardless of tipping and minimum wage should be a working wage. And, weirdly, when I travel I pay the same prices as I do in my home state, which pays full wages to service workers. BTW, I use to hear constantly how stupid I was to get a degree and work my way up when my friends made so much more in tips, but then one bad night and they are all over everyone about how bad people tip. Tips are nice. They shouldn't be your wages and that is something that needs to change. Does any state other than California guarantee the same minimum to servers (I think it's $15.50 an hour)?
A tip used to be a thank you for the service, it wasn't meant to be the server's wages, his/her employer should be paying a livable wage, as they do in most European countries. I have been a server, it's a tough job, I always tip 20% of the bill regardless of how good/poor the service was.
In Switzerland (where personel gets a living wage without tips), we only tip when the service was very good, to "pay the personel a coffee" as my grandmother used to call it by giving them like 5 CHF. It's beyond me why american personel blames customers instead of their employers for not being paid enough.
This is b******t. I live in germany. I never tip because the people get paid properly. Maybe not the highest of payments but they have a wage. Everything else would literally be illegal here. Food does not cost more if you pay your workers. That's so disturbing, that some people say stuff like that. Every time I think America could not be more f****d up you proof me wrong. SMH. This whole article is a dystopian nightmare. Tipping is a choice. Your boss should pay you. End of story. Customers should never be responsible for your wage.
If a couple each orders the most expensive item on the menu, three courses plus most expensive wine, coffee and a nice drink to finish, are you telling me that you deserve more money as a server than if the same couple were to have a glass of wine, and the cheapest dish for each course. Why? What did you do differently? Or are we saying that in the USA tipping is a dishonest, under the table tax on customers based on unfair employment practices? (It is OK I know the answer)
Maybe we should tip by the hours you use a server. Sounds more fair, especially as a server can serve multiple tables.
I thing there should arrive a viral agreement to tip zero to every server at every restaurant. Instead of a tip, create a symbol that means: Restaurant Workers' Salaries Matter. Enough of business owners pushing payroll responsibility to customers!! If it becomes viral, they will have to pay their workers a living wage
How's this Ben, I tell you I tip big and then I stiff you! Your the moron! Take note, the business you are working for will fire you, if they see you give bad service to their customer. lol
Just raise the menu price and pay a real wage. What is the difference between raising prices 20% AND ME LEAVING A 20% tip? In the end, I'm still paying more than the menu price in a place where tips are expected. Just raise the damn menu and pay a normal wage. That way I don't have to tip unless I really did receive exceptional service.
Tip well every time. The culture sucks but it is what we’ve got and servers rely on those tips. Tip well even if you have b ad service, and then tell the manager or whatnot. I raised all my tips an extra 5% at the beginning of the pandemic, making my minimum tip 25% every time. I eat out a little less, but at least I’m not being a Karen/d**k.
As a server, I want to say that I would be happy receiving a $10 tip on almost every ticket. The restaurant i work in is not super high end so the average ticket is between $30-$60. However, on a large majority of these tickets I get a $1-$5 tip, and I'm not able to live on those kinds of tips, especially when business is slow. Yes, I think this guy is a bit entitled but its truly astonishing how little money servers are expected to live on. And I'm fortunate because my hourly wage is $9.54. Can't imagine having hourly wage of $2 or $5, especially in this economy.
This whole debate reminds me of reservoir dogs, right at the beginning of the film, after they discuss what Madonna ment by like a virgin.
I think the best you can do is educate diners about tipping. Those who are educated and don’t tip well probably aren’t going to change, and conversely good tippers will continue to tip well.
TIP used to be an acronym for "To insure promptness". I always tip at least 20%, and my servers haven't threatened me with poor service if I don't.
You can't choose to work in a particular industry - your choice - knowing that's how it is, not like it/can't live off the pay, continue to stay and struggle - and then expect everyone else to make up for it. I am thoughtfully saying, choose work that treats and pays you properly! I believe you're capable, so should you. If you want the industry to change how they pay staff, stop working in these places, refuse to apply - let them know they're garbage in their compensation - and they'll have to do something if they ever want anyone to work for them. You deserve better! Will it take time to change the industry - yes! But it never will if people keep continuing to work these types of employers who are laughing all the way to the bank.
No, just no. You might think you are entitled to extra money because your job is somehow harder than other people'a jobs? Do you tip your doctor for a successfull surgery? Do you tip your teacher for preparing you for exams? Do you tip a policeman for finding your car? No? Well they are all service, aren't they. And their job is hard. If the only reason why I should tip is because your employer does not giving you good enough salary well then that is a pretty bad reason imho. I should not be responsible for that.
I'll keep the tip and the cost of the meal (which might not be all that good), and COOK. It'll cost me less and will, for sure, taste good. If I want ambiance, I'll turn on some music and light some candles. This inflation is NOT my fault, and my income has not gone up, so there's no way, I can just pay out a lot in tips. I doing good to take care of myself with today's prices.
Go ask your boss for a living wage! I'm Dutch but live in the US, my starting tip is 20% and can increase when I receive excellent service, but all this calling out customers on not giving enough makes me no longer want to tip at all. Maybe it's time everyone stops tipping so you force your employers hands instead of the customers.
Another post about a server angry over a tip, I am not saying they do or dont deserve it. But I dont feel like I should be required to tip someone, and the well dont go out to eat then is total b***s***. We tip based on the service we are provided not because the wait staff is being paid low wages by their employer. On 4th of July my wife just tipped the waitress $40 on a $100 bill, because she was amazing, probably the best service we have ever had anywhere. I would rather have to pay more for my food to give these people better wages then some c**p that i am required to tip. If you just come and take my order, possibly bring me my food (sometimes its brought by someone else) and then give me my check you probably wont get a good tip or any tip at all. Ive been a waitress for 2.13 an hour and relied on tips as part of my income, but I knew the performance factor played in to it. But demand I tip you or you wont get sh** extra from me. Talk to your cheap boss about a raise.
Ask servers if they WANT to abolish tipping and they will tell you on a busy night, no. They make more money on tips than they would on minimum wage - especially at high-end restaurants. Some places automatically tack on a tip, which is fine if you post it somewhere that I can know before I order. But if it’s expected, then I expect good service in return.
So what he is saying is that he needs to be paid additional to be nice. Tipping is a scam. As for the argument that if there was not any tipping the food would cost more, would it cost 20% more. And why a percentage? Do you get better service because you ordered a expensive steak rather that a hamburger? Probably not.
Honestly, tipping culture is a problem. Establishments should pay a living wage, they're the problem and tipping isn't the answer. It's a clever way to distract attention from where it actually belongs, placing it on the customer, rather than the employer.
And the IRS makes servers do tip reports so they can tax them. WTF
I worked in the service industry for years. A tip was and is not an expectation. It is a reward for the customer feeling that they received good service. The entitlement of this guy is unbelievable. People go to restaurants for the food and atmosphere... not the servers
Here's another question. Suppose you're getting something less expensive, and 20% ends up being less than a dollar (i.e. a drink from a coffee shop). Do you round up to the nearest dollar? As a coffee shop worker, would you think it's insulting to get 82 cents, even if that's over 20%?
If you don't want to live on handouts, get a real job. If you choose to wait tables, good and bad tipping is part of the game. I assume you don't refuse extra-big tips, so stop whining about the crappy ones.
Honest question, especially for restaurant workers in the USA. What is considered acceptable when you're getting pick-up/to-go food from a full service restaurant? Normally, you tip your server, but if you're getting pick-up, the only person that serves you is the cashier, and that's about 1 minute of work. They can get a lot more to-go customers through in the same amount of time, so smaller percentage tips would add up to more money. Or, is 20% still expected?
"...move it by one decimal point..." Gotcha, instead of a 10% tip, you want a 1% tip! Damn son...you're easy to please! :)
Living in Canada where the tipping culture is a thing, I have a big problem with this. If I order a $10 salad, you expect a $2 tip (fine) but if I go to the same restaurant and order a$50 salad, you expect a $10 tip?!?!? I got the same service, the server didnt do more or less (took the order, gave it to the kitchen, brought the plate, asked if everything was ok. No more then the service for the $10 salad)... The price of the items on the menu shouldn't dictate the amount of the tip.
Throw the tipping culture away and pass laws forcing employers to pay appropriately! As if it wasn't contentious before, now every fall place I go to whether the employees are serving me or not (self serve/casual dining) asks for a tip. I don't even know what to do anymore.
Unfortunately this is how it works in the US but it's not like consumers don't know this is the system. You know tipping is what you're supposed to do. People are just being cheap.
I used to serve in my 20s. Bad tippers who dared to return would always be ignored until every single other person in the restaurant is served and I mean EVERYONE, and even then I might still wait a bit to serve you (because I want you to walk out and never come back). Same for people who don't tip me on take out. If you don't think you should tip on takeout, then you shouldn't expect me to waste my time preparing your s**t for you. After you pay me, if it's s**t, you can go pick up and bag and your own s**t because I don't f*****g care. Oh and all the s**t you leave behind, it gets thrown in the garbage. I'm not running a lost and found for assholes. Oh, and you don't want to f**k with people that are feeding you food. The things I've seen people do to people's food is beyond what you can even imagine. So take your f*****g stance and behave like an ignorant European in a North American country (the internet makes figuring out customs miraculously easy).
Yeah, it's not ignorance. It's because your custom is stupid and you are unable to behave like adults and take it up with the people who are actually responsible for paying you, ie. your employers.
Load More Replies... ok. what is the minimal wage in the US? 15€ or so? If you have only 4 tables and each is giving you a 10€ tip, you already have 40€ for say a max of 2 hours of your time which is already 20€/hour. isnt that enough if you are also getting a wage? do you work there for free or what? please explain because it doesnt make sense to me. In my country I get less than 10€/hour before tax and it is considered a slightly above average. So I would already tip you more than what is my wage if I ever come to the US.
Some people never lived in Japan and it shows. Look, Ben wants money for what he does, that's fair, but he expects that money to come to him directly from the customer, as if the customer hired him. Servers don't go through a vetting process from each person that walks in the restaurant. Ben is not the customer's employee, he is the employee of the restaurant. Charge more for the food. Pay servers enough to provide great service. Never expect a tip.
US servers be worse than beggars, at least beggars are happy with whatever amount you give them, as it's gratuity, ffs!! Seems like the whole system there is broken if you need to beg for money while having a full time job
yet another reason i'm not a proud american. blame the f*****g employer not the customers. although it's good to tip until the wage problem for servers is solved, he's directing his anger toward the wrong people.
IF I am satisfied with your service I will tip you. If all you do is to come over 2 minutes after ainget my food asking: "is everything fine?" And I afterwards have to chase you down, to get more food, drink, pay.. I am NOT gonna give you a tip at all, no matter how low your income is.
As inflation gets worse, your tips will be less! Why go out to eat when I can cook the same foods at home at a fraction of the cost and have leftovers for the next day? When money gets tight and thanks to the democrats and Biden things are really bad, one of first things people cut out IS eating out. Going to the movies. Buy the DVDs or Blu Rays and watch it at your leisure. Buy popcorn from QVC Farmer Jon's hulless popcorn and you need never go to the movies again. Stop buying pre made cookies and other sweets and making them at home. People will give up that which is not necessary.
I agree 100%. Withininflation and rising prices in the US as a server, don’t disrespect me with five dollar tip if I’ve cater to your every need. When you’re at home you need to cook you need to serve yourself you need to clean your dishes you need to make your own beverage. When you go out to eat we do that for you. This isn’t new this is how it works. The same way you tip your hairdresser even though you paid for style is the same way you tip your server who does it make a cut for styling your hair or cooking your food.
If you think I should pay for you to bring me food what do you get salary for? 5 dollars is a disrespect to you? In some countries people have to feed their family for 5 USD per day. You are the one being disrespectful behaving as if people owe you something. They dont. The employer is the one paying you for your work. Btw do you also tip teachers, policemen, firefighters, cashiers and other service people? No you dont. Why? Because they have a better wage? Again, you were made to believe it is the customers dault while it is the employer scamming you.
Load More Replies... If I walked into a restaurant and he worked there, I would turn around, walk out and tell everyone I knew not to frequent that restaurant! He has a bad, nasty attitude! Yelling at customers or potential customers will never serve ANYONE well! I DO NOT NEED HIM! HE NEEDS ME! Just like an entertainer. Insulting your fan base, audience will not serve you well! The Dixie Chicks when they mouthed off about GW Bush. They accused him of censorship. He didn't cause them to have to cancel concerts. They insulted people and people where so offended they refused to attend their concerts. Pink last week, people got up and walked out of her concert. People don't like to be preached to by people whose only job is to provide a service. If people want to be preached to, they can go to church or call their Mom or I can give you my Mom's phone number if your mother has passed.
My god! He might as well be begging on the street. Challenging customers? Fire him.
American here…my takeaway from this article is this guy’s arrogance and entitlement is off the charts! I have no problem tipping. I do not understand why it is allowed in the US to pay restaurant workers below minimum wage and expect the patrons to make up the difference. However, in my state if the employee does not make enough in tips to reach the federal minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference so in the end, the employee is in fact getting minimum wage.
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