Couple Busted for Refusing to Pay Tip

[Growled Member]

I know a guy who is a waiter at a restaurant and he says that where he works all the tips are added up at the end of the shift and then split between the staff. So a part of my tip that I gave for excellent service has gone to a waiter who did a terrible job that shift. I still tip but it's made me rethink my position of it all. I think a restaurant should just charge enough to cover all of that in the price of the meal.

[Fred Derf Veteran]

I know a guy who is a waiter at a restaurant and he says that where he works all the tips are added up at the end of the shift and then split between the staff. So a part of my tip that I gave for excellent service has gone to a waiter who did a terrible job that shift. I still tip but it's made me rethink my position of it all. I think a restaurant should just charge enough to cover all of that in the price of the meal.

Often the waiter will share a portion of their tip with the busboy and the basic kitchen staff but I'd suggest that waiters pooling and equally dividing their tips is too communistic to be very common in North America.

[Mr. Gibs]

"its not my fault if the employer is too cheap to not pay the employees enough"

Where'd that come from ? How would you know that he's cheap ? You mean, just because he doesn't pay them well, he's being cheap ? Oh wait, you mean.. like some of you here ? That sounds so familiar.

You need to realize that the tip is for the waiter, not the owner, so it has little to do with your food, if anything, it has everything to do with the bloody service you received when you stepped in the restaurant.

That makes no sense.

According to your logic, I should now start tipping every single person in any service industry. If I have to tip the waiter for delivering my food, I should also start tipping the chef who made it, the truck driver who delivered the food, the people who packaged the food, the cow that gave its life to give me some steak and the toilet cleaner at the restaurant too etc etc etc

Hell the doctors and nurses in hospitals should be tipped also.

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The ONLY reason why tips are considered "mandatory" in America is because waiters are paid well below minimum wage. So one of the ways to fix it is to get your customers to make up for the lost wages, the other is to pay them minimum wage and get rid of that exception to the law.

It's their job to serve me food when I go into a restaurant, they aren't doing it out of kindness or for free.

Edited November 30, 2009 by /- Razorfold

[Toon_Army_Fan]

That makes no sense.

According to your logic, I should now start tipping every single person in any service industry. If I have to tip the waiter for delivering my food, I should also start tipping the chef who made it, the truck driver who delivered the food, the people who packaged the food, the cow that gave its life to give me some steak and the toilet cleaner at the restaurant too etc etc etc

Hell the doctors and nurses in hospitals should be tipped also.

---

The ONLY reason why tips are considered "mandatory" in America is because waiters are paid well below minimum wage. So one of the ways to fix it is to get your customers to make up for the lost wages, the other is to pay them minimum wage and get rid of that exception to the law.

It's their job to serve me food when I go into a restaurant, they aren't doing it out of kindness or for free.

Couldnt have put it better myself. I have been trying to make that point for my last three long posts. lol

Why cant resturants just pay the minimum wage and be done with it. I also think it is a very different situation in the UK than it is in the US. Here in the UK by law the employer has to pay minimum wage so the waiter is already getting a good enough wage before tipping. I know its different in the US but still think its the employers fault and not mine so why should I have to pay for it.

[FloatingFatMan]

Couldnt have put it better myself. I have been trying to make that point for my last three long posts. lol

Why cant resturants just pay the minimum wage and be done with it. I also think it is a very different situation in the UK than it is in the US. Here in the UK by law the employer has to pay minimum wage so the waiter is already getting a good enough wage before tipping. I know its different in the US but still think its the employers fault and not mine so why should I have to pay for it.

Well, the only real difference in the US is that they don't pay the full minimum because they can get away with it being topped up by customers BUT, if the service staff don't get enough tips to equal the minimum wage, the employer MUST top them up so that they do. That's the law in the US, so there's no getting around it, is there?

So really, it's not that bad if you don't tip, as the service staff ARE getting their minimum wage. Don't let them guilt you into doing something you don't want to do. They ARE earning what their job says they'll earn. If that's not enough for them, then they need to get a better job.

[ylcard]

That makes no sense.

According to your logic, I should now start tipping every single person in any service industry. If I have to tip the waiter for delivering my food, I should also start tipping the chef who made it, the truck driver who delivered the food, the people who packaged the food, the cow that gave its life to give me some steak and the toilet cleaner at the restaurant too etc etc etc

Hell the doctors and nurses in hospitals should be tipped also.

---

The ONLY reason why tips are considered "mandatory" in America is because waiters are paid well below minimum wage. So one of the ways to fix it is to get your customers to make up for the lost wages, the other is to pay them minimum wage and get rid of that exception to the law.

It's their job to serve me food when I go into a restaurant, they aren't doing it out of kindness or for free.

The difference between a doctor and a waiter is huge, for one a doctor gets paid a crap load more than a waiter, and another thing - the waiter's job is to serve you your food, yeah - but he can do that in a horrible way, like very late, or drop it, or whatever else that you can imagine.

So no, Doctors shouldn't be tipped, but people with **** wages do deserve some tip.

[FloatingFatMan]

So no, Doctors shouldn't be tipped, but people with **** wages do deserve some tip.

Why? Because they're on a low paid job? What about the millions of others on low paid jobs that don't get tips? What makes waiters so super smashing special that they deserve something that millions of others never get a chance of?

<Bleep> 'em! If they don't like their crappy wage, then it's up to them to correct the situation, not me.

[Angelic Marge]

Why? Because they're on a low paid job? What about the millions of others on low paid jobs that don't get tips? What makes waiters so super smashing special that they deserve something that millions of others never get a chance of?

<Bleep> 'em! If they don't like their crappy wage, then it's up to them to correct the situation, not me.

I have to agree. As you say there are millions of people in low paying jobs and they have to just get on with it, my monthly wage is utter crap but I don't expect a tip. I don't tip when I go out to eat and I'm not afraid to admit that. Am I a cheapskate cause I value every penny I earn? I need that money myself to pay the bills and buy food, ?1 may sound like nothing but to me it's a hell of a lot.

[Growled Member]

I have to agree. As you say there are millions of people in low paying jobs and they have to just get on with it, my monthly wage is utter crap but I don't expect a tip. I don't tip when I go out to eat and I'm not afraid to admit that. Am I a cheapskate cause I value every penny I earn? I need that money myself to pay the bills and buy food, ?1 may sound like nothing but to me it's a hell of a lot.

I agree as well and I do try to tip. Why should we tip just waiters? If they deserve tips then so do many others who have low wage jobs.

[DDStriker]

and another thing - the waiter's job is to serve you your food, yeah - but he can do that in a horrible way, like very late, or drop it, or whatever else that you can imagine.

So no, Doctors shouldn't be tipped, but people with **** wages do deserve some tip.

then that stuck up sack of **** should be fired for not being able to complete his job correctly or just not giving a damn

if a waiter serves me in a poor fashion the company will lose business (or get fired after we complain to the manager)

not receiving a tip is NO excuse for being a lazy/slow employee

[Toon_Army_Fan]

The difference between a doctor and a waiter is huge, for one a doctor gets paid a crap load more than a waiter, and another thing - the waiter's job is to serve you your food, yeah - but he can do that in a horrible way, like very late, or drop it, or whatever else that you can imagine.

So no, Doctors shouldn't be tipped, but people with **** wages do deserve some tip.

That is an absoulty shameful statement!

"waiter's job is to serve you your food, yeah - but he can do that in a horrible way, like very late, or drop it, or whatever else that you can imagine."

Im finding it hard to even describe how wrong that is. There JOB is to serve the food in a nice, fast, not drop it way! They are only doing their job nothing special. Your basiclly saying that all waiters are blackmailing customers into tipping because if they dont then the service they get the next time will be bad. I would love owners of your resturant to read this and see how exactly you see you job description. You must for some reason think that your only task is to turn up and bring the food how and when you like. You must not have in your job description good customer service etc LOL!

Thats like saying when I come to work if I dont get a tip I shall write the report as long as I like and as fast as i like and I shall decide on how good I write it based on my extra reward at the end of it! And they are lucky to even get that! Cheek of my employers actually asking me to do my job correctly. Is it not enough for them that I actually turned up. Now they want me to do WORK! ha I laugh at how stupid they are sometimes!

From reading your posts the only argument that you have come up with is people who get paid a good wage dont deserve tips but beacause you are a waiter and have a bad wage then its ok to tip.

You are the one who is being a cheapskate not the people who are spending money at the resturant after a hard days work doing the job they are paid to do for the wage that they agreed to when they signed their contract and not expecting anything else!

[mokthraka]

really is it that ******* hard to tip? I make like $100 in 2 weeks im only 16 and dont work much. if I go somewhere for dinner with my family and I am paying. as long as the service is good I will leave a 20% tip. its not that hard. stop being a cheap ******

[Liana]

really is it that ******* hard to tip? I make like $100 in 2 weeks im only 16 and dont work much. if I go somewhere for dinner with my family and I am paying. as long as the service is good I will leave a 20% tip. its not that hard. stop being a cheap ******

It's your employer that's cheap, not your customers. Your employer may even want to pay you more but can't afford to, but that's not the customer's problem.

Everyone needs to be paid at least minimum wage no matter what their job is.

[Richard Hammond]

really is it that ******* hard to tip? I make like $100 in 2 weeks im only 16 and dont work much. if I go somewhere for dinner with my family and I am paying. as long as the service is good I will leave a 20% tip. its not that hard. stop being a cheap ******

Why should you tip if the food/service was bad?

[Angelic Marge]

really is it that ******* hard to tip? I make like $100 in 2 weeks im only 16 and dont work much. if I go somewhere for dinner with my family and I am paying. as long as the service is good I will leave a 20% tip. its not that hard. stop being a cheap ******

If I'd rather spend that tip on my own family, am I a cheapskate?

[Solid Knight]

I'm surprised how many people are unaware that some restaurants add gratuity for parties larger than some arbitrary number.

[Liana]

I'm surprised how many people are unaware that some restaurants add gratuity for parties larger than some arbitrary number.

I don't think that's honest unless it's displayed or disclosed before you order, like prices on a menu. Often times it's listed on the menu but it's teeny tiny.

[mokthraka]

Why should you tip if the food/service was bad?

notice how I said if the service is GOOD

if its bad it sucks to be you

im talking about the people in this thread who are saying they never pay tips

and clearly the BLS says you do not need to be payed minimum wage as a waiter. or some goverment agency I dont feel like going back and finding it

[DDStriker]

notice how I said if the service is GOOD

if its bad it sucks to be you

im talking about the people in this thread who are saying they never pay tips

and clearly the BLS says you do not need to be payed minimum wage as a waiter. or some goverment agency I dont feel like going back and finding it

no it would suck to be that restaurant :laugh:

[Gotenks98]

I never tip in restaurants or bars, or anywhere else for that matter. Why the hell should I? I'm paying for my meal, and the service staff are paid to serve people. Why should *I* pay them for doing what they're already paid to do?

If they don't earn enough money from waiting tables, that's not MY problem.

Its very rare that I totally agree with you but I do on this. I hate the whole concept of tipping. Tipping only got started cuz most places started paying their employees bad wages. I dont want to be contributing to that mindset. The other day when I was on vacation the guy who got our luggage out of the van wanted a tip for moving our luggage 12 feet. I was like I could have done that myself and did not really need his help for that. The guy got an attitude when I told him I had no cash on me. People keep saying tipping is how those people make money, well my answer to that is get a real job. Eventually we are going to be at a point where machines will be our waiters, am I going to be expected to tip a robot? I think not.

I generally don't tip because I expect good service, I expect anyone doing a job to do it well.

I also have no desire to assist restaurants in screwing over their workforce and the taxman by paying them less on the basis that they get tips.

Quoted as the gospel.

[still1]

http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm

So they get the minimum wage no matter what..