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Why should a server be tipped a percentage of the meal cost?

Ikari said:
Ruined by the illogical again!

Honestly, in the end, it would be the servers who don't want to go away from this, I would think. Though I actually have no statistic to back it up. I think when you include tips, servers generally make decent coin. I'm just bitter at the whole "tipping" system in general.
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Me, too. I had a waitress just this past Saturday night that I very much wished NOT to tip, but the group I was with wouldn't have it.
 
radcen said:
Why should a server be tipped a percentage of the meal cost? Where did this idea start? Why does that make a difference?

Ok, if a table runs up the tab and orders round after round of alcohol, and the server is constantly running back and forth for drinks, sure. That makes sense. The effort is there.

But if a customer orders a $25 steak or a $10 hamburger, the effort is the same. (Presumes no extra courses, as many places have eliminated those.) Why should the steak customer be expected to pay more for a tip simply because their meal cost more? At 20% you're talking $5 vs $2, and for what?

Question presumes a simple dining experience with no extras or drama.
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Good question. Only thing I can think of is what you mentioned - that higher bills on average mean more food served and more work done by the server. That's not always the case but I'd bet over time it works as a good approximation.
 
Ikari said:
Ruined by the illogical again!

Honestly, in the end, it would be the servers who don't want to go away from this, I would think. Though I actually have no statistic to back it up. I think when you include tips, servers generally make decent coin. I'm just bitter at the whole "tipping" system in general.
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I don't have a stat or a study, but I used to work in restaurants in my younger days and have talked with many servers, and not a single one liked the idea of a better wage and no tips. Even with the occasional person who stiffs them, they all know that in the long run they are far better paid with tips than they would be otherwise.

As a consumer my issue isn't a tip, per se, but rather the uncertainty of how much is warranted combined with what has become an arrogant expectation.
 
I tip pretty generously because many of the waiters out there are struggling to get by, or are working their way through school.

I came from the bilges, but have done fairly well over the years, so I enjoy making other people happy as well.
 
Ikari said:
It got out of hand. I think at first, it was just something that was done to show a "job well done", but then companies used it as an excuse to pay servers less. So now, it's entrenched and expected. It's hard to say that the server shouldn't be tipped something now because it is true, they are paid significantly lower than min wage and tips are part of their nominal paycheck.

Personally, i'd like to see the whole system done away with. Servers make min wage, and no tipping.
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That's what we have in Sweden. Servers get paid and tipping is rare. No tips for anyone, in restaurants or anywhere else - about the compete opposite of the states
 
Because we still allow restaurant owners to get away without paying their employees the proper wage and instead would prefer that the person who buys the meal not only pays the owner for the food and time, but also makes sure the server survives as well.
 
Slightly off topic. TIPS stands for To Insure Proper Service and in the olden days it was delivered to the server at the begginning of the meal. We once did this at a restaurant we've been to before and had a pretty good idea what we were going to spend. Our server was having a bad day and I gave her the tip at the beginning and said this was for tonight's service. The service was excellent.
 
I have found that the quality of service in non-tipping countries is noticeably worse than in tipping ones.

The tipping on the price regardless of what was ordered is just a rule of thumb to make things easier. There is no shame in adjusting it based on the work involved. For example I might dial down my usual 20% tip if I am drinking expensive scotch instead of iced-tea.
 
Ikari said:
It got out of hand. I think at first, it was just something that was done to show a "job well done", but then companies used it as an excuse to pay servers less. So now, it's entrenched and expected. It's hard to say that the server shouldn't be tipped something now because it is true, they are paid significantly lower than min wage and tips are part of their nominal paycheck.

Personally, i'd like to see the whole system done away with. Servers make min wage, and no tipping.
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Minimum wage, minimum people. A server in a decent restaurant makes good bucks from tips, same with an upscale watering hole. This attracts people who understand they have a stake in the quality of your experience and know their trade. If those positions paid just minimum wage, you'd be served by the guy who didn't get hired by MacDonalds. At least you'd save a couple bucks, though.
 
They shouldn't. The only reason they still are is because consumers go along with it.
 
I tip because being a waiter ****ing sucks ass.
 
Why should a server be tipped a percentage of the meal cost?
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i don't see a big problem with tipping, although full minimum wage requirements should still apply to servers. if i wanted to tip the owner, i would do that. i'm also not big on taxing tips, since they are intended as a small cash gift to the server from an individual.
 
Different regions have different customs. The Tampa Bay area currently uses 20% as rule of thumb for full dining service. Adjust the tip up or down based on the quality of the service.

Of course, in most instances, you have no firm obligation to pay any tip whatsoever. I believe in karma... and prefer to leave an establishment viewed as generous and understanding as opposed to stingy and uncaring. I think more of generous tippers than I do of stingy ones.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
I suppose for the same reason that a real estate agent or car salesman expects a similar deal.
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I have never tipped a real estate agent or a car salesman. Their fees are part of the purchase price.
 
Rexedgar said:
I find myself tipping for what used to be 'average service'.The bar has been lowered so much, that if we get 'super service', I tip very well. If the system changes now the meals will be out of sight!
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Agreed. I tip for good service. That's what a tip is supposed to be, a reward for going above and beyond the required duty. Most waiters and waitresses barely meet the minimum standards. I tip for decent service. For bad service, not only do I not tip, but I have, on more than one occasion, called out said waiter or waitresses manager to explain why they weren't getting a tip. Walking food to a table is not tip-worthy. They have to be reasonably attentive and come back to refill drinks and the like without me having to hunt them down. Tips need to be earned.
 
Harshaw said:
It should be noted that if servers are not paid enough in tips to match non-tip minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference in pay. So, by law, they are required to be paid at least minimum wage either way.
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That's their problem. Maybe they should get a better job or maybe they should work harder.
 
RAMOSS said:
If that is the case, then , they should get paid the same wages as everyone else.
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They get the wages they agreed to work for, which is all they deserve. If they don't like the wages that being a waiter or waitress pays, they should find a job more to their liking.
 
My local Sweetfrog has a tip jar at the cash register. It is a 100% self-serve ice cream place. What the hell would I tip for?
 
Trippy Trekker said:
Different regions have different customs. The Tampa Bay area currently uses 20% as rule of thumb for full dining service. Adjust the tip up or down based on the quality of the service.

Of course, in most instances, you have no firm obligation to pay any tip whatsoever. I believe in karma... and prefer to leave an establishment viewed as generous and understanding as opposed to stingy and uncaring. I think more of generous tippers than I do of stingy ones.
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IMHO, the tips (To Insure Prompt Service?) would likely be more effective if tendered immediately upon getting the service rather than being left well after the fact. When I am at a bar I tip upon the receipt of each round of drinks rather than letting the server guess whether I might be a generous (or stingy) tipper. ;)
 
Cephus said:
They get the wages they agreed to work for, which is all they deserve. If they don't like the wages that being a waiter or waitress pays, they should find a job more to their liking.
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And if tips weren't part of the expected rewards of the job, most of them probably would find a different job. But the reality is that tips are part of the wages of the job. That's how the labor market operates for this type of work. There are no pure and true principles of how all wages should be earned They actually deserve every penny they make, because it is the practice accepted and followed by enough customers who do tip. Practice is reality, theory is for rigid ideologues.
 
Cephus said:
Agreed. I tip for good service. That's what a tip is supposed to be, a reward for going above and beyond the required duty. Most waiters and waitresses barely meet the minimum standards. I tip for decent service. For bad service, not only do I not tip, but I have, on more than one occasion, called out said waiter or waitresses manager to explain why they weren't getting a tip. Walking food to a table is not tip-worthy. They have to be reasonably attentive and come back to refill drinks and the like without me having to hunt them down. Tips need to be earned.
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Yeah. Some of my friends think I'm a cheapskate for contantly giving low tips: while they complain about bad service! They shut up when I gave a $100 tip for a $35 meal. The service was just that good. People just don't get it. I don't care if someone "needs this job to live". I need my job too, and I try to do it well. If it's that important to a person then that person should do the job well, not just expect a handout.
 
radcen said:
Why should a server be tipped a percentage of the meal cost? Where did this idea start? Why does that make a difference?

Ok, if a table runs up the tab and orders round after round of alcohol, and the server is constantly running back and forth for drinks, sure. That makes sense. The effort is there.

But if a customer orders a $25 steak or a $10 hamburger, the effort is the same. (Presumes no extra courses, as many places have eliminated those.) Why should the steak customer be expected to pay more for a tip simply because their meal cost more? At 20% you're talking $5 vs $2, and for what?

Question presumes a simple dining experience with no extras or drama.
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First of all, servers are "taxed" on tips regardless whether they receive them. The government requires that servers pay taxes on all of their tips but it raises red flags if the amount claimed is less than 8% of their total sales. Generally this works out in the servers favor because they usually receive 15% (quite a bit more than the 8% the government requires). So if someone orders a $25 steak...the government expects that they will be tipped accordingly.
 
Cephus said:
They get the wages they agreed to work for, which is all they deserve. If they don't like the wages that being a waiter or waitress pays, they should find a job more to their liking.
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Do you prefer being waited on by capable, proficient people when you go out for dinner, or is the high-school kid behind the counter all you ask for? 'Cause you get what you pay for and if customers and employers want competent people they have to pay them, one way or another.
Might be easier for you if the price went up 15% to pay wages that attract decent people.
 
reinoe said:
I rarely tip because service is rarely good. They rarely make sure my drinks are constantly filled, they rarely check to see if everything is ok. Usually what happens is they make 1 pass, drop off the bill and then might as well be a bunch of ghosts.

I tip delivery drivers though. I live kinda on the edge of all delivery zones and it's not easy to find. If they bring me plates, crushed pepper, parmesan, and napkins they get a good tip. If not they get something measley. But they always get something.
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Oh please. You rarely tip because you are a cheap bastard. To say that you rarely tip because service is rarely good is ridiculous and speaks volumes as to the type of customer and person that you are.
 
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