Should Tipping be Banned?

[dust1n]

Some servers in upscale establishments in the big cities make more money than medical professionals do.

If I am purchasing a 300 dollar bottle of wine and the server makes an excellent suggestion, that experience is priceless.
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Source?

 

[dust1n]

Heather, I think you might be ignoring the freedom dollars that where earned and not taxed.

So you are okay with tax fraud?

 

[Springs1]

Now in thinking about it???No working for tips could help reduce server abuse.Like in the sense you are my personal slave and I can treat you however because I'm paying you .

As far as being mean goes, I can't imagine there's EVER a REAL REASON to be mean to a server unless they have been mean to you. I couldn't FATHOM being mean to someone that was nice to me. I have even been NICER than servers have treated us. However, they are the customer's slave even if the customer is nice, because it's getting everything you want correctly and in a timely manner that you can control at the mercy of the customer's tip.

With that said, if there wasn't tipping, I guess they wouldn't be personal slaves in a way, but they'd still have to do their job in order to keep it kind of like McDonald's cashiers. They can't tell me no, I won't do that or they will get fired.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

What kind of things do you consider not the server's fault? I would like to see what you have to say?

The line cooks drop a dish that was just finished and have to make it over again, the bartender spills a drink, you specifically asked for no onions and they made it with onions, a food runner drops the whole tray and everything has to be made again, the soda machine is out of some sort of syrup and it takes you a minute to refill it, the line just completely disregards your ticket until you tear their heads off because it's been 15 minutes. There are so many variables that are completely out of the server's control.

No one should have to tell you. You should be LOOKING AROUND to see what is happening and work as a *TEAM* meaning that it doesn't matter if they told you or not, because you should act like they DID and go ask the hostess about it before greeting them.

You've obviously never been a server before... You don't always have time to police other people's tables, let alone figure out which sections might not have a server at them. You're assuming that we remember everybody's individual section and know for a fact whether they're on break or something. Easier said than done when you have a million other things to do...

Do you smoke during times when customers may need you?

No, I'm good at my job... I have yet to get complaint that I wasn't around when somebody needed something. I never smoke when I have tables sitting; only on my break, during a time when I have no tables and nobody's coming in, and/or before and after my shift.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Source? Evidence?

How can you give a source for a hypothetical situation? Don't be a chooch...

 

[Penumbra]

As far as being mean goes, I can't imagine there's EVER a REAL REASON to be mean to a server unless they have been mean to you. I couldn't FATHOM being mean to someone that was nice to me. I have even been NICER than servers have treated us. However, they are the customer's slave even if the customer is nice, because it's getting everything you want correctly and in a timely manner that you can control at the mercy of the customer's tip.

With that said, if there wasn't tipping, I guess they wouldn't be personal slaves in a way, but they'd still have to do their job in order to keep it kind of like McDonald's cashiers. They can't tell me no, I won't do that or they will get fired.

I don't think that's a healthy way to think about any other human being.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

As far as being mean goes, I can't imagine there's EVER a REAL REASON to be mean to a server unless they have been mean to you. I couldn't FATHOM being mean to someone that was nice to me. I have even been NICER than servers have treated us. However, they are the customer's slave even if the customer is nice, because it's getting everything you want correctly and in a timely manner that you can control at the mercy of the customer's tip.

With that said, if there wasn't tipping, I guess they wouldn't be personal slaves in a way, but they'd still have to do their job in order to keep it kind of like McDonald's cashiers. They can't tell me no, I won't do that or they will get fired.

Call me a slave and I'll spit in your gravy and give you flat soda. You sure do have a lot of suggestions for a job you've never done before...

 

[moodys]

However, they are the customer's slave

Do you consider yourself middle class and above?

 

[Springs1]

The line cooks drop a dish that was just finished and have to make it over again,

Yes it's not my server's fault, BUT not letting me know what's going on IS in that don't let me know that this happened so I will know how long I will be waiting more for my food.

the bartender spills a drink,

Again, agreed, BUT let me know this, don't keep my in the dark, because that is part of the server's job. If you don't let me know, then I may assume it was something you did wrong.

you specifically asked for no onions and they made it with onions,

The making it with onions it's not your fault, but IF you are my server, if you can *SEE* it's made with onions such as an open-faced burger that has onions on the burger patty for example that you don't have to touch my food to notice it's wrong, if you waste my time serving it to me anyway, *THAT* part would be on *YOU* 100%! Basically the time it takes to bring me the food and then have it sent back in this particular case would be your fault for not noticing it *BEFORE* you served me my food since the issue was obvious that you didn't have to touch the food to notice it was wrong before you left the kitchen.

If it's another server bringing out the food, if you put in the order wrong(not putting no onions) in this particular example of the open-faced burger, it would be your fault, not this other server's fault, because they can only go by the ticket or computer screen order.

a food runner drops the whole tray and everything has to be made again,

Again, VERY TRUE, BUT you do have to let me know what is going on. Some people for example are on their lunch break and just don't have the time to wait 15 more minutes just to get their food and it's just out of common courtesy to let us know out of being considerate as well as nice.

the soda machine is out of some sort of syrup and it takes you a minute to refill it,

Again, not your fault for the longer wait if you don't end up serving me the low syrup drink. I have had LOTS of servers during the years be so dingy to not bring that glass to the light and I saw it was light colored(I am only talking about the dark colored soft drinks) RIGHT WHEN they put it on my table. If it's out of syrup that *I* have to discover it, then that's on the person that served it to me. Filling up the glass with ice and drink, then bringing it to me, only for me to send it back and have to do it all over takes TIME and that time is the server's fault for that if I have to discover the issue. My server's job is to discover that issue *BEFORE* they serve it to me just like if they have lipstick on a glass as well or something like that.

the line just completely disregards your ticket until you tear their heads off because it's been 15 minutes. There are so many variables that are completely out of the server's control.

That's in my server's control 100% to have noticed if they even started on my food within 8-10 minutes of me ordering. I feel more with the bartender with this much more than food in that, we have had times where servers forgot to get the bar drink from the bar

You should be noticing if they are making my food by when you go in the kitchen getting drinks for another table, etc.

You are in charge of noticing if they are ignoring my order. Waiting 15 minutes to notice that whether it's a bar drink or food is TOO LONG!

You've obviously never been a server before... You don't always have time to police other people's tables, let alone figure out which sections might not have a server at them.

You obviously never been that customer that has sat 9-10 minutes waiting to be acknowledged by ANYONE. Once, we almost just left that time it took almost 10 minutes and we wished we would have, the service was horrible as well as I couldn't believe when I saw our waitress not get my drink I just ordered, she refilled from a pitcher the iced teas for another table. My jaw almost dropped when I had ordered first and we had been waiting all that time just to get greeted.

So maybe you might want to think about that other people have feelings besides just you and to act like that COULD BE *YOU* sometimes.

 

[Springs1]

Call me a slave and I'll spit in your gravy and give you flat soda.

I would get you arrested for doing a crime, so you would be punished A LOT MORE. Plus, SO, if you aren't sick, it's not going to harm me in ANY WAY!

I wouldn't call you a slave. I am not mean like you seem to be.

You sure do have a lot of suggestions for a job you've never done before...

Because I am TIRED of the SAME ISSUES at the restaurants SAME PROBLEMS that MY SERVER could have prevented me from getting or another server could have prevented. It's not suggestions, it's what the servers SHOULD be doing so there wouldn't be sooooo many problems.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

I would get you arrested for doing a crime, so you would be punished A LOT MORE. Plus, SO, if you aren't sick, it's not going to harm me in ANY WAY!

You wouldn't know, and I would have the satisfaction of watching you lap up my spit and tell me how good it is... It doesn't have to harm you, it would just make me feel better.

I wouldn't call you a slave. I am not mean like you seem to be.

I never denied being mean.

Because I am TIRED of the SAME ISSUES at the restaurants SAME PROBLEMS that MY SERVER could have prevented me from getting or another server could have prevented. It's not suggestions, it's what the servers SHOULD be doing so there wouldn't be sooooo many problems.

Then make your own damn food or get take-out... Either way, don't pretend you have some sort of experience that the person doing the actual job doesn't...

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Yes it's not my server's fault, BUT not letting me know what's going on IS in that don't let me know that this happened so I will know how long I will be waiting more for my food.

I always let my tables know what's going on every step of the way... You just seem to be generalizing and think that every server is incompetent.

That's in my server's control 100% to have noticed if they even started on my food within 8-10 minutes of me ordering. I feel more with the bartender with this much more than food in that, we have had times where servers forgot to get the bar drink from the bar

There's no excuse for bar drinks; those are easy to spot right away. But, when you're running back and forth getting drinks, condiments, whatever else your other tables might be asking for, you don't always have time to make sure every individual dish for all of your tables is being made right when you asked for it. That is the responsibility of the line.

You obviously never been that customer that has sat 9-10 minutes waiting to be acknowledged by ANYONE. Once, we almost just left that time it took almost 10 minutes and we wished we would have, the service was horrible as well as I couldn't believe when I saw our waitress not get my drink I just ordered, she refilled from a pitcher the iced teas for another table. My jaw almost dropped when I had ordered first and we had been waiting all that time just to get greeted.

So maybe you might want to think about that other people have feelings besides just you and to act like that COULD BE *YOU* sometimes.

I do go to restaurants too you know... You need to stop acting like you're the only important person in the world...

 

[Springs1]

Either way, don't pretend you have some sort of experience that the person doing the actual job doesn't...

I bet most servers haven't and even *YOU* haven't:

1. Have you ever had wrong price on your check(an overcharged price)?

2. Have you ever had a server forget to put in an order before?

3. Have you ever had a server bring you the completely wrong food(YOUR SERVER, NOT another server, but YOUR SERVER that took your order)?

4. Have you ever had a server forget your side dish?

5. Have you ever had *YOUR* server(not another server) bring you the wrong side dish?

6. Have you ever had a server forget to get a bar drink from the bar that you had to remind them about it?

7. Have you ever had an extra item on the bill you didn't order?

8. Have you ever had a wrongly rung up item(like we have had a side salad without an entree rung up when I had ordered an entree)?

Please answer those. If you haven't had ALL of these, then you don't know what it's like to be a customer. If you have had all of these, how many times you would say ballpark? We have had wrong prices LOTS OF TIMES over the years for example. I bet you haven't had one or wouldn't even know, huh?

So yeah, I feel if the servers would have been through these issues, they would be checking over the things they had control over to AVOID doing these things so they don't happen to someone else. Think about it.... If you haven't had that issue happen, how do you know how to respond to the customer or how they are feeling about it, huh?

I sure think most servers haven't had most of these issues happen to them as to why they don't check over most things for obvious errors they serve you. I really feel if they did have them happen, they wouldn't treat customers like this blaming the menu or the computer for the wrong price or blaming the cook for plating beans instead of rice(this happened at On the Border a waitress blamed the cook for plating 2 sides of beans when my husband had ordered the item as it came which had rice and beans, turns out she rung up BB(I had ordered bbq sauce, she thought it was that and rung up an extra side of black beans), so not only did she not pay attention to what she was serving for DUH mistakes, but she also overcharged us.

 

[Springs1]

you don't always have time to make sure every individual dish for all of your tables is being made right when you asked for it. That is the responsibility of the line.

No, that's the responsibility of my server since I am TIPPING them, not the line.

Here's a former waiter that FULLY disagrees with you:

Since I am not allowed to post a link, I will put a "DOT" for where a "." goes.


*edit*

Demosthenes9 said:

Absolutely right. As a waiter, it was ultimately my responsibility to ensure that EVERYTHING was correct with your food. Cooks would plate up entrees and the expediter would "build tickets" by collecting the correct entrees, adding the side items, and placing the plates on a tray to complete the order. (at least that's how it worked just about everywhere I have been). At that point, the waiter SHOULD check each plate to see that the order is correct to include having the correct side items. Waiter should also make sure that the food is still hot and didn't "die in the window" while waiting for the order to be filled. Lastly, a waiter who actually knows what he is doing can simply look at your steak and tell with some accuracy whether it is cooked correctly or not. (There are of course exceptions where steaks are "borderline", like right between medium rare and medium, or between medium and mid well.) I have had any number of cooks yell at me because I told them to recook a steak before I even took it to the table. It doesn't take a genius to see a somewhat burnt steak sitting on a plate and to figure out that it ISN'T medium rare as ordered.) The funny thing is, if waiters took the time to pay attention to the little details like the one's Spring mentioned, they would actually have MORE time on their hands to take care of customers. Afterall, it takes maybe 30 seconds to check over an order and make sure it's correct. Failure to do so means that you now have to go all the way back to the kitchen, argue with a cook, get a replacement side item, then carry it back out to the table. That time could have been better spent taking care of other tables instead.

I agree with him completely that wasting time bringing food back and forth is MORE TIME WASTED than to check over the written order with the food for obvious errors. You have time if you want to MAKE the time, it's your choice to have a bad tip or not to have a bad tip.

If you have time to for example buss a table, you have time to check my food. The reason why you are making a tip is because you are supposed to *CARE* about what you are serving me as far as what you can control. In you logic, I might as well just get up and get my food from the kitchen staff if you don't care, seriously, why am I tipping someone that doesn't care?

I do go to restaurants too you know... You need to stop acting like you're the only important person in the world...

You sure don't sound like it, because if you did, you would be more sympathetic.

I am not acing like the only important person, but you sure are with the entitleness of the tip.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Please answer those. If you haven't had ALL of these, then you don't know what it's like to be a customer. If you have had all of these, how many times you would say ballpark? We have had wrong prices LOTS OF TIMES over the years for example. I bet you haven't had one or wouldn't even know, huh?

I do know what it's like to be a customer, because I eat at restaurants like everyone else does. What I don't do is put on this huffy, pretentious air you've got floating all around you. I've had bad experiences at restaurants, but I don't feel the need to blame every server in the world, or raise my blood pressure by ranting about it to complete strangers on the internet. Honestly; if you hate every server you've ever had that much, don't eat out. I'm sure the servers will be glad to hear that they never have to see you again...

 

[Springs1]

I do know what it's like to be a customer, because I eat at restaurants like everyone else does. What I don't do is put on this huffy, pretentious air you've got floating all around you. I've had bad experiences at restaurants, but I don't feel the need to blame every server in the world, or raise my blood pressure by ranting about it to complete strangers on the internet. Honestly; if you hate every server you've ever had that much, don't eat out. I'm sure the servers will be glad to hear that they never have to see you again...

So see, you can't answer them, so you haven't had all of these things happen to you, so you see, I am right and you are wrong. If you haven't had these issues happen to *YOU* as a customer, HOW are you to know how to serve the people in these situations if you have no clue of how it feels to be that customer, huh?

I even asked you "please" answer.

All you have to do is say "yes or no" to each one. You just don't like I am proving you wrong.

My point was, you DON'T know what it's like to be that customer with those issues, do you? Refusing to answer is proof of that.

but I don't feel the need to blame every server in the world,

I am not, I am blaming the ones that do the things wrong that are at fault.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

I agree with him completely that wasting time bringing food back and forth is MORE TIME WASTED than to check over the written order with the food for obvious errors. You have time if you want to MAKE the time, it's your choice to have a bad tip or not to have a bad tip.

I never said anything about bringing the wrong food/food that wasn't prepared correctly to a table... Personally, I have never done that. I was talking about when food has to be remade because someone on the line messed it up. You're putting words in my mouth for the purpose of your ridiculous rant...

You sure don't sound like it, because if you did, you would be more sympathetic.

Oh, poor you... All servers, BOW TO THIS WOMAN AND WASH HER FEET! There, sympathetic enough?

I am not acing like the only important person, but you sure are with the entitleness of the tip.

"Entitleness"? :sarcastic ......

 

[Springs1]

I never said anything about bringing the wrong food/food that wasn't prepared correctly to a table... Personally, I have never done that. I was talking about when food has to be remade because someone on the line messed it up. You're putting words in my mouth for the purpose of your ridiculous rant...

NO, this is YOUR WORDS, NOT MINE:

you don't always have time to make sure every individual dish for all of your tables is being made right when you asked for it.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

So see, you can't answer them, so you haven't had all of these things happen to you, so you see, I am right and you are wrong. If you haven't had these issues happen to *YOU* as a customer, HOW are you to know how to serve the people in these situations if you have no clue of how it feels to be that customer, huh?

I even asked you "please" answer.

All you have to do is say "yes or no" to each one. You just don't like I am proving you wrong.

My point was, you DON'T know what it's like to be that customer with those issues, do you? Refusing to answer is proof of that.

If you would actually read, you'd see that I did say I have had bad experiences at restaurants. I have had all those things happen to me; I just don't get mad at the world and cry about it on the internet...

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

NO, this is YOUR WORDS, NOT MINE:

Yeah... That has nothing to do with bringing the wrong dish to a table...