Tipping in Restaurants

bacardi66

I worked in restaurants when I was younger and relied heavily on tips to make up my wages. I would always do my best to be pleasant to the customers (not always easy as some people are incredibly rude to waiting staff) and made sure they got the best service possible. I was so young then (late teens) and the tips made a big difference to me.

Ive always tipped when I eat out (normally around 10% if there isn't already a service charge added in) the only time I wouldn't tip would be if the service was really bad. Its certainly customary amongst my friends and family to tip when we eat out, its not something Ive ever questioned and whenever I eat out with friends or family its only ever a question of how much we tip rather than whether we tip.

But this thread has really made me think about why we tip some people and not others, eg waiters but not nurses, taxi drivers but not bus drivers etc

Mojisola

bacardi66 wrote: »

I worked in restaurants when I was younger and relied heavily on tips to make up my wages.

For me, this is the issue - you should get wages that are right for the job. I would rather the prices in the restaurant were put up, the workers given a decent wage and tipping to be banned.

19lottie82

I spent a lot of time working in restaurants and pubs, so usually leave a tip unless the service is bad.
Saying that the one thing I absolutely detest is (optional) "service charges", how dare someone try and con me into tipping an extra 10-12.5%? When I get the bill I always score it out and write the correct amount below it, which I pay, and if the service was good, I tip the staff. It makes me angry when I think how many people pay this because they don't notice or don't want to say anything.

ska_lover

What about people who earn minimum wage, and eat out, are they expected to leave a tip?

Going out for a meal is a rare treat for us, if we were to add 10% say (for a tip) it would be the difference between going out, and staying in

Person_one

birduk wrote: »

I didn't say that though did I? Read those words again and read what I wrote rather than what you wanted to read.

Um...

birduk wrote: »

Waitressing (and kitchen asistant) isn't like other minimum wage jobs though is it? You don't normally work a nice 8 hour shift, with a lunch break. You work all the way through from, say 10-3 without a break, then come back for the evening shift. You don't get to go home at the end of the day because you have to work the evening shift to make a living wage at minimum rate.

Yes I have been a bar maid, waitress, kitchen assistant, office worker etc and the hardest by far was waitress where I had to be polite to, often, some quite awful and rude people that think you are beneath them somehow for doing that job. Now I tip really well as I am working. Unless you have been in that job, don't judge!

Feel free to clarify what you think I'm reading wrong.

Person_one

Mojisola wrote: »

For me, this is the issue - you should get wages that are right for the job. I would rather the prices in the restaurant were put up, the workers given a decent wage and tipping to be banned.

The law changed a few years ago, restaurants used to be allowed to pay below NMW and make up the difference with tips, that's not allowed anymore.

birduk

Person_one wrote: »

Um...
Feel free to clarify what you think I'm reading wrong.

I do love a good intetnet argument *insert sarcasm here*.

Read again. I said that the hardest job I HAVE HAD so far has been waitressing.

And that waitressing isn't like other minimum wage jobs because of the short hours and/or split shifts.

I don't say anywhere that other people in other jobs work any less hard/ have any worse jobs to do. Stop being so touchy! If someone does a good job I always say thank you- no matter who they are. And I do tip taxi drivers, although I don't know why! I am sure they earn more than I do!

In terms of why a waitress is tipped and not any other 'service industy' I have no idea. No doubt it dates back to the days before minimum wage, when we were on considerably less than any other profession (whether that is as a HCA or whatever).

Mojisola

Person_one wrote: »

The law changed a few years ago, restaurants used to be allowed to pay below NMW and make up the difference with tips, that's not allowed anymore.

But good waiting staff are worth more than the NMW and should be paid accordingly.

Person_one

Mojisola wrote: »

But good waiting staff are worth more than the NMW and should be paid accordingly.

Well, lots of hard working people who earn NMW probably deserve more, sadly that's not how it works.

birduk

Person_one wrote: »

Well, lots of hard working people who earn NMW probably deserve more, sadly that's not how it works.

Nail=head

And some people that earn a small fortune really shouldn't be paid it. It is the way of the world!