Michigan server who got $10,000 tip says she was fired in ensuing dispute (2 Viewers)

[saintmdterps]

It certainly depends on the restaurant and even the shift the wait staff is working. For instance wait staff always make better money working a night shift on Friday or Saturday than say the lunch shift on a Tuesday or Wednesday. I worked at O'Henry's which was more or less a locally owned Chili's and I was lucky to make over minimum wage when working a mid-week lunch shift. That even applied sometimes on a Saturday night if you got stiffed on a few big tables.

I worked in a resort area during the summer and the only slow night was Monday, so that was typically my one day off

 

[0rion]

I agree on the issue of price point. If im paying $80 for a 10 oz filet, then my expectation is the cook/chef is getting well compensated

Im more or less talking about a smaller, not "fine dining" type establishment where that expectation, and price point for meal, might be lower than normal and turns out that the food was really beyond what you expected be it from the flavor, the cooking -

I appreciate the drill example, but Lowes employees didnt "create" the drill.

The cook created my meal. Now if my steak came pre-seasoned and pre-cooked and all the cook had to do was re-heat ( package nice ) and serve it, then i would agree with the analogy.

And there is negotiation in food service- if your food is terrible you can have it comped/removed from bill. That is indeed a negotiation. If the service was lax, then you can reflect that in the tip.

My whole point was about tipping and while i fully understand the wage disparity, i was pointing out i go to a restaurant not because of the wait staff, i go because i enjoy the food prepared there. And if someone comes in and has a dining experience that prompts them to leave a $5000 tip, i think it should be shared with servers as well as cooks. Thats all im saying.

People hold out on tips because of food taste/quality due to cooks/chefs making mistakes. The wait staff are the ones taking the risk financially and should be the ones to reap the reward when it's a positive.

 

[efil4stnias]

People hold out on tips because of food taste/quality due to cooks/chefs making mistakes. The wait staff are the ones taking the risk financially and should be the ones to reap the reward when it's a positive.

If my service is tops and food meh, I'm not blaming the server. My tip doesn't change.

That's why I struggle when food is excellent and service is just ok.

And ftr, if I'm comped my meal, I'll still tip off the original amount.

 

[Saintman2884]

I worked in a resort area during the summer and the only slow night was Monday, so that was typically my one day off

Was it Ocean City, by chance? That's essentially one of the biggest ocean-side tourist attractions along the mid-Atlantic states of the DMV, Delaware, maybe Upper South residents and beach-goers? Its also Md.'s equivalent of Atlantic City. That and also the Cape Hatteras/Outer BanksCape Fear region are must-go, heavy summer resort communities for 5-6 months of the year.

 

[SystemShock]

I get that- and thats part of the 'formula' - wait staff are usually well below min wage for hourly + tips.

Cooks generally above $15/hr whereas wait staff ( when i was doing ) was like $2.13/hr plus tips.

But even with the wage disparity, am i going to a restaurant because the servers are nice or the food is really good?

You go to a restaurant because the food is good, but you stop going to a restaurant if the service is bad.

The wait staff takes the heat (and less tip/no tip) for any mistake the cooks make or how long the cooks take to make the food, but the wait staff can't go to the cooks and demand they give the wait staff part of their salary because the cooks' mistake/tardiness cost the wait staff a tip.

If the restaurant is not busy, the wait staff isn't making that much/any money, but the cooks are still making their money.

Depends on the type or restaurant, but usually cooks are just following someone else's recipe.

 

[zeetes]

When did that start? I always thought that 15% was the standard

with their minimum wage per hour has been $2.13 per hour from my working in the 90s and still the same, inflation is out of control, and wven then, 15% is a if you are possibly lucky. i have a problem with overtopping and it doesn't help fix the issue.

 

[saintmdterps]

Was it Ocean City, by chance? That's essentially one of the biggest ocean-side tourist attractions along the mid-Atlantic states of the DMV, Delaware, maybe Upper South residents and beach-goers? Its also Md.'s equivalent of Atlantic City. That and also the Cape Hatteras/Outer BanksCape Fear region are must-go, heavy summer resort communities for 5-6 months of the year.

It sure was. Phillip's Crab House on 21st street. We lived in a 2-bedroom house on 75th street so I often rode my bike to work, which was quicker anyway because of traffic.

Ocean City has become extremely overcrowded since then. There is not one square inch of the city not paved or built up. Crime has also increased.

Give me Assateague Island any day.

 

[sfidc3]

Did your BF ever wait tables? I find that lots of times people who don't tip well or are likely to tip much lower for bad service didn't wait tables. (Although to be fair some people who did wait tables are harder on wait staff because they know how it is supposed to be done.)

I personally start at 20% as a base line and go up from there for great service. I've only ever gone down to like 15% for truly terrible service and even then, I kind of felt bad about it because as you said, you never know what people are going through that day.

Yup I do the same.....I've tipped up to 30% if the service is exceptional....I've done just about every job in a restaurant except bartend.....hard work....

 

[saintmdterps]

Yup I do the same.....I've tipped up to 30% if the service is exceptional....I've done just about every job in a restaurant except bartend.....hard work....

Once a server always a server

 

[Semper]

 

[Semper]

You know something I was made aware of? Tipping in the total amount…. So last night we went out for dinner with a buddy and his wife and the bill came to $254 before taxes, and $270 with taxes. It was pointed out my tip should have only been on the $254 not the $270…. Does anyone else tip that way?

 

[kcirdor]

You know something I was made aware of? Tipping in the total amount…. So last night we went out for dinner with a buddy and his wife and the bill came to $254 before taxes, and $270 with taxes. It was pointed out my tip should have only been on the $254 not the $270…. Does anyone else tip that way?

The tip is pretty much 20% no matter what.. you are talking about 3 to 4 dollars here. People used to just say when it was 15%, take the Tax amount(8%) and double it. So that's still pretty accurate since taxes went up to around 10%. If you wanna throw in those extra 4 bucks. Do it.

 

[Semper]

The tip is pretty much 20% no matter what.. you are talking about 3 to 4 dollars here. People used to just say when it was 15%, take the Tax amount(8%) and double it. So that's still pretty accurate since taxes went up to around 10%. If you wanna throw in those extra 4 bucks. Do it.

I tip 20% on the $270. He was saying I should have tipped on the $254.

 

[kcirdor]

I tip 20% on the $270. He was saying I should have tipped on the $254.

Right... and I responded saying take the amount of Tax and double it. So you are not tipping on Government funds. you are just using the government funds as a simple guide to what your tip should be at minimum.


the standard tipping used to be 15%, sales tax used to be 8%.. you could just double it. Now it's Tip 20%, sales tax is around 10%, you can just double it.

 

[sfidc3]

You know something I was made aware of? Tipping in the total amount…. So last night we went out for dinner with a buddy and his wife and the bill came to $254 before taxes, and $270 with taxes. It was pointed out my tip should have only been on the $254 not the $270…. Does anyone else tip that way?

Nope, I don't sweat the small stuff....