NPR: Why We Tip

[techboy]

My grandfather will put some money on the table before the food is ordered, and tell the waitress, "This is your tip, depending on service, it may or may not all be there in the end."

V1ZZWhSvOMI

[TeddyKGB]

I'll tell you one thing, working in the service industry you truly see the entire demographic of people. I've waited on people that are possible mental patients to half the redskins, Steve Case and Ted Leonsis. Sometimes its good to see all walks of life.

[ljs]

techboy- I can't see your pic, or whatever you posted.

[abdcskins]

I'd say my mood is the biggest factor. If you catch me on a good day I'll typically give you an enormous tip for just basic service. And I'll tip random people a buck or two in positions that don't typically get tipped (like the dude at the liquor store the other day or the lady at Kinko's who helped me with the fax machine).

Also your attitude/personality is big too. If a waitress/waiter smiles and is nice to me and shows genuine interest in my experience then I'll show them some appreciation.

[techboy]

techboy- I can't see your pic, or whatever you posted.

It's a youtube video. Here's the direct link.

[ljs]

It's a youtube video. Here's the direct link.

oh, thats why./ It won't show up at work. I'll check later when I get home.

[sportjunkie07]

Also, isnt' it better to tip in cash instead of putting it on your card?

ok, so. technically, its better for the waiter to be tipped in cash. this is because of the declaration of your tips (i.e. taxable pay) is then dependent on you. in other words, the govt doesnt know how much you are making. with credit cards, its all recorded.

now. i for one, always tried to get as close to my actual amount made as i could. it is tough to keep track after a busy saturday where you worked a doubleshift. most of the people that i knew would do about 10% of their total sales.

as aforementioned in the thread, most restaraunts require waiters to tip out. at the last place i worked, it was 3.5% of total sales. for instance, if you sold $1000 of food, and got 20% in tips ($200), 3.5% ($70) of it goes to the restaraunt. and by restaraunt, i mean the 3.5% is split between the bartenders, cooks, and hostesses. so in the end, you walk with $130.

this is an ok way of doing it, but its not always accurate. for instance, during the weekdays, there was rarely a hostess, in fact, the waiters are sitting the customers. yet you are still tipping out to the hostesses, which arent there. also, if you have an ornery table, or get stiffed, you still have to pay that 3.5%, which means the money is coming out of your pocket.

i was nearly always the best waiter at the restaraunts in which i was employed. i had plenty of people that would return asking for me by name. if you work hard, KNOW YOUR MENU, read people well, and go the extra mile (this can be an in depth knowledge of wines or beers, taking care of the kids, helping sit grandma, making the birthday girl feel extra special, etc.) you will do well. because of this, i averaged 18-20% on my tables, after tipout thats around 15%, which is fine with me and pretty good for texas. (northeasterners tip better).

there are some bad spots to waiting tables, one that i hated the most was certain events in galveston. during the biker rally, we would double or triple the sales compared to that of most weekends. yet the clientel tips much lower, avg. of about 10%. so you are working 2 or 3 times harder, yet making the same amount. no thank you.

[pointyfootball]

So the owner doesn't deserve the same consideration for a job well done ? Barber shops are not typically cash cows. They rent out space to employees to pay the bills. The employees are not normally paid at all. The owners are not cleaning up and rolling in a Benz.

I do agree, normally. Where i go is a bit different. It's a shop about the size of a small 1-car garage. The guy is ancient, as is his assistant, although he zings through haircuts at an incredible speed. I do buy him a case of beer for Christmas, does that count?

[pointyfootball]

My grandfather will put some money on the table before the food is ordered, and tell the waitress, "This is your tip, depending on service, it may or may not all be there in the end."

That's what inspires these types of scenes (from the "Waiting" movie):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v1mp8X6EI0

Put the link instead of imbedding it due to language in the title.

[techboy]

oh, thats why./ It won't show up at work. I'll check later when I get home.

It's a clip from 3rd Rock from the Sun, where Dick uses a tipping method similar to your grandfather's. I've always found it pretty funny, and it seemed to apply here.