Have you ever left a shitty tip because of shitty service?

[trumad]

I have.

I see a football player is getting grief for leaving a 20 cent tip on a 60 dollar tab. No mention if he had bad service.

When I take my family of 5 to dinner the bill is easily 60 bucks. There have been a couple of times when the service was so inept that leaving any type of tip would be to much.

Yeah sometimes it's not the servers fault--- kitchen, management not staffing correctly, etc. I can see that and will not punish the server because of it.

But--- I've had waiters that were plain out horrible.

Sometimes a shitty tip sends a signal that either the server is in the wrong business---or the server should try a little harder for a better tip.

nuff said!

[Oktober]

1. Absolutely...

It's a clear signal that service was not up to snuff.

I don't usually care about the reason. That is for the business to sort out.

[yeoman6987]

35. My only rule is that my diet coke must not

Be empty for longer than 5-10 minutes. I tell them at the beginning of the meal. I never send a plate back even if it a bit underwhelming and don't care how long I have to wait for the food or bill. If I am alone, I always have something to occupy my time. That diet coke thing is extremely important to me. The most I have at any meal is a total of 3 diet cokes and that is typically rare. So I don't feel I am asking too much. I tip extremely well. Typically 25-30 percent.

[woodsprite]

55. We typically do the same, give a higher tip.

It pays off. We used to have a restaurant we'd go to regularly at lunch. They'd see my husband and I getting out of our car in the parking lot and by the time we got into the restaurant, they had a table set with our unsweetened teas and salads. All that was left to do was order the entree.

That was the one real restaurant we could go to and make it in/out in 30-45 min. when we had to be back for a meeting. Geez, do I miss them! They had 2 restaurants within 3 blocks. Ended up shutting the one at our end of town down. Kept the one that had a bar and attracted the hoards of college students at their end of town.

I think the lowest tip we've ever given was 5%, to someone who really didn't put any effort into 'serving' us after the kitchen staff delivered our meal. Didn't check on us for drink refills (had to ask) and assumed we were done without asking about dessert (again, we had tell him we weren't finished, could we see the dessert menu). My coworker and I went back/forth as to whether to leave a tip or not. I thought leaving a low tip sent a bigger message than leaving no tip.

[840high]

2. The only time I did

a waitress took our order while counting her tips by my table. Paid no attention to what we ordered.

[edhopper]

3. According to the restaurant owner

his service was first rate.

http://consumerist.com/2014/09/09/restaurant-owner-wont-apologize-for-shaming-lesean-mccoy-over-20-tip/

He then recounts his side of the story, in which McCoy and three friends visited PYT on Monday and ended up sitting in a booth next to the owner and other managers.

“They were given excellent service. Impeccable service,” writes the owner. “If anything, our server was a little nervous as was our food runner, because they are big, big fans.”

However, he claims that McCoy and his friends quickly became “verbally abusive” to the staff, including derogatory comments about females.

Maybe not nuff said....maybe your assumptions about this were completely off.

[justamama83]

36. The restaurant seems to have scrubbed their FB page....

Previous to the owner's reply to the situation there was a ton of negative comments about the service provided at this establishment. I have never eaten here but I have had friends who have, some liked it some didn't. I just think the whole practice of "tip shaming" needs to cease. It makes the establishment look at the very least whiney, at the best unprofessional.


No matter what happened and we can speculate as much as we want- bottom line is any customer- famous or not- eating in that restaurant has the right to leave as much, or as little tip as he/she wants. Is it right? I'd not do it- I tip even for less than stellar service- just not as much as I would for others but it's the nature of the business.

As several have pointed out here maybe since the owner is so concerned that this "shorted" the waiter's pay- he needs to pay a higher hourly rate so the waiters are not dependent on tips. This way each waiter can use his own ideals on what constitutes good service without losing money. Of course, that attitude might lose the restaurant money, but hey- can always go find a job elsewhere and start all over.

[jeff47]

77. Because the owner is completely unbiased in this situation (nt)

[hlthe2b]

4. If the service was poor and the server was trying, polite and apologetic, no

If the service was poor, the server was rude, and not only lacking in apologies, but overtly arrogant, yes.


In recent years, "eating out" is increasingly rare unless I'm traveling since I'm usually carefully watching my diet (as are friends/family) and frankly, the expense can't always be justified. So, bad food AND bad service is hard to take. I do try to give benefit of the doubt when possible though...

[lunasun]

64. Yes purposely bad service invites small tip and I am a 20% or more usually

I assume they enjoyed their distain in having to serve me and didn't expect much of a tip
Might even be on purpose to say certain types of people don't tip well
I'll play but not with my hard earned cash

[el_bryanto]

5. I have as well

I try to be generous though - if I am not sure that it's their fault, than I let it go and tip them. But . . . one restaurant I frequent has a wide open area where you can kind of see what the wait staff is doing - and one time I watched my waitress gabbing with a coworker for quite a long time, and when my food came it had noticibly cooled.

I'm not insensitive to the fact that waiting tables isn't the worlds best job and some stuff is beyond their control though - so I try to be generous as a first instinct, but the point to a tip, in so far as it has one, is to reward good service. The wait staff should understand that (when I worked for a restaurant they all seemed to).

Bryant

[riderinthestorm]

6. No. Never. I'll leave 15% instead of my usual 25% and then speak to the manager

Last edited Wed Sep 10, 2014, 10:13 AM - Edit history (1)

I've been a server and would never stiff them. The 2 restaurants I worked at shared tips so by stiffing one, I'm also penalizing the others. Not fair.

[BlueCaliDem]

13. That's what we do. We give the bare minimum (15%)

and then tell them personally that they weren't up to par.

I've been a server in my teens, and I worked very hard in order give my best. I have to say, for the six months that I worked as a waitress, I always had generous tips.

[Auggie]

53. Same here

[Tikki]

78. Exactly as I do....

Tikki

[MineralMan]

7. If service is that bad, a conversation with the

restaurant manager is in order. Stiffing the waitperson doesn't inform the management of the problem.

[Reter]

15. Never inform the manager, that's worse

I don't believe in getting employees in trouble unless they are rude. They could lose their jobs. It might not be their fault, and the manager will likely fault him/her anyway. Restaurant managers can be brutal.

[MineralMan]

24. I don't do never. I can't remember the last time

I had crappy service, frankly. But bad service that makes me think about not tipping is rude by definition. Ignoring my table when it's clear that the wait staff is not overwhelmed is rude. Bad service is rude service.

I'm an excellent tipper. I'm polite and friendly to wait staff. I don't expect to be treated like royalty in a restaurant. I do, however, expect some sort of responsibility on the part of whomever is assigned to my table. I'll be ready to order, I guarantee. I'll also be ready to pay at the end of the meal. In between those two things, all I expect is that someone comes by to take my order correctly without me having to hail a waitperson, delivers the food soon after it is prepared, and shows up to present the check when it's clear that the table is finished eating. That basic service will get a 20% tip. Extra service gets a higher tip.

I'm easy, but bad service is rude in itself. I'm capable of observing the flow in a restaurant and understand if its understaffed or crazy busy. I make adjustments in my expectations if those conditions exist. I don't blame waitstaff for badly prepared food. I don't blame waitstaff for management errors.

I'm easily pleased, and I'm happy enough if my restaurant experience is OK. But bad service is rude.

[RKP5637]

40. Same here! I only get annoyed when the actual waiter is unusually rude. Other things might be out of

the waiter's control. They can't help it if the chef is horrible, the kitchen incompetent or the restaurant is really F'ed up. Then, sometimes, I take into consideration they might really hate their job but need it to survive. I've never really had many rude waiters. I try to help make their job easier. I always leave 20%. It's easier to calculate, lol, and I figure that's pretty fair.

I did make a HUGE mistake once. The restaurant was not serving the cuts of meat they advertised. It was inferior for a high price. One of my friends used to work in a large hotel restaurant, knew all the operations of a business. Long story short, he complained to the owner. I made the mistake of opening my BIG MOUTH and said even the waiter agreed. Well, this sociopathic owner fired her on the spot. He was an absolute asshole! I was in my 20's then, I've learned better since.

[Nye Bevan]

8. “They were given excellent service. Impeccable service,” writes the owner.

He then recounts his side of the story, in which McCoy and three friends visited PYT on Monday and ended up sitting in a booth next to the owner and other managers.

“They were given excellent service. Impeccable service,” writes the owner. “If anything, our server was a little nervous as was our food runner, because they are big, big fans.”

http://consumerist.com/2014/09/09/restaurant-owner-wont-apologize-for-shaming-lesean-mccoy-over-20-tip/

[merrily]

31. The employer sounds like a nice person and a great boss.

[jeff47]

79. Because the owner is completely unbiased in this situation

"My restaurant's service is utterly terrible" is something he'd like to publicize.

[Reter]

9. No, bad service equals 10% tip

That's if they're lazy, talking to the staff, playing with their phone, or something like that. If they are rude or insult me, that's the only grounds for nothing.

[whathehell]

59. Agreed -- pretty shitty to be THAT cheap, unless, of course,

the servers are rude.

[merrily]

10. I cannot remember the last time I could reasonably blame a server for

anything, so a qualified no.

If something goes wrong, they are usually very apologetic.

Before I stiffed a server, he or she would have to be rude to me for no apparent reason and that has never happened to me.


Before I stiffed a server, I would also have to be relatively certain that I would never have to be served by that server again. I am not much of a risk taker.

I have, however, engaged in deliberate overtipping on occasion. Nothing extravagant, just another five or ten, usually for no special reason other than I feel like it that day. The appreciation I get as I am going out the door--if I don't make it out fast enough-- is so over the top, it's embarrassing.

[Springs1]

112. Not apologetic in most cases

If something goes wrong, they are usually very apologetic.

For my husband and I's experiences, no most are NEVER apologetic in most cases. Most blame others or even objects for the issues THEY caused.

[merrily]

119. Apparently, my experience has been very different from yours.

[merrily]

123. I had a feeling. I truly did. Usually, people get from servers what they give off.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025535425

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

11. Yeah, 15%.

I generally try to tip more than that. But I know how crappily servers are paid, and I remind myself I don't know why the service was so sucky. Maybe the server's mom died that day, their dog got run over the day before, they're working through horrific chronic pain simply to try and keep a roof over their head. Maybe some ass just tipped them two cents (or 20) and sent them into a pissy mood.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. I thnink 10% is a shitty tip so that is what I leave when I get shitty service w/ a penny head down.

[The Magistrate]

14. Once, Sir

Back in the long-hair days. Went into the coffee-shop of a downtown hotel we were staying at. It was quite late, and no one else was there. Waitress waited over a half hour before she came to take our order, and it was clearly deliberate. Paid for the meal with a fifty dollar bill, and left a nickle out on the table for a tip.

[Laurian]

16. No. I empathize with the difficult

working conditions and shitty pay and choose to always give at least a 20 percent tip.

[enough]

17. No. I will give a particularly generous tip if the service is super-great for some reason.

But I will not punish a server for bad service. I feel there's an implicit contract with a server to tip about 20 percent in every case. If the service is so bad that it needs to be punished, then there should be a conversation with the manager or the server.

I'm not going to a restaurant in order to sit in judgment on the performance of the server while the evening is going on.

[edhopper]

18. You could acknowledge

that there is now "mention" that LeSean McCoy got excellent service and your entire presumption about this is wrong.

[jeff47]

80. You could acknowledge that said mention

comes from the restaurant's owner, who has a vested interest in people believing his restaurant does not have lousy service.

[Starry Messenger]

19. No.

Tipped income minimum wage is only $2.13. In many establishments servers have to split out tips too. Stiffing your server also means you are stiffing the busboy and others too.

If a dining experience truly sucks, just don't go back.

In the case of the recent story, that has been covered--the customer had great service.

[Bettie]

26. In the past, I've had to ensure I'm the last at the table too

Because some jerks will take part of the tip off the table and pocket it.

There is one couple we will never, ever go to a restaurant with again because they not only pocket tip money (they believe that tipping is unnecessary, unless the service satisfies them...and it never does), but because the last time we went with them, the male half of the couple stood up and screamed at the waitress because the kitchen was backed up (she told us about it and apologized) and the multiple substitutions they had made in their meals were not all correct.

That evening, the rest of us in the party ensured that the waitress got an exceptional tip for dealing with them.

But, that couple usually has enough complaints to get their meals comped. They brag regularly about never paying for a full restaurant meal because of the 'incompetent' service.

They are also card carrying Republican teabaggers who don't believe in public education, but sent their kids to public schools, scream about medicaid and food stamps, while using them....you know the type.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

104. Arrgh, you just reminded me why

when I go out to eat with a certain few people I make sure I'm last at the table - to slide extra money onto it when they insist on paying, because they are mediocre tippers at best, and think 10% is a decent tip. I was cringing with embarrassment the first time I noticed that, and have done my best ever since to 'dawdle' long enough to slide extra cash onto the table if they've picked up the check.

[obxhead]

29. In most cases the tipped out people still vet there cut based on sales

So leaving no tip or a shitty tip can end costing the server to wait on that table.

Its happened to me before. I love paying to serve someone. Really puts me in my place in the circle of life.

[Starry Messenger]

43. Gotcha, I should have figured the server had to cover it anyway.

I'm sorry that had happened to you. Food service sounds tough--I never had the nerve to try it.

[tblue37]

120. "Get" their cut. Autocorrect or typo, but you did not mean "vet" their cut. nt

[factsarenotfair]

20. Well, when I have dined with a large group of people and everyone is supposed to throw in

their part of the bill plus their part of the tip, there has ALWAYS ALWAY ALWAYS been a shortage, whether with low or high income people.

Isn't there a bit in a Douglas Adams book where a spaceship is powered by the energy it takes to split up the bill in an Italian restaurant?

TIP: Never be the person who pays the bill after a group of people has dined and theoretically chipped in.

[merrily]

38. True enough. But that is not about bad service.

Even then, I will not stiff the server.

[factsarenotfair]

39. Yes, I've had to chip in extra in situations like this but I learned my lesson. n/t

[merrily]

50. Me, too!

[factsarenotfair]

57. Some restaurants automatically add a 15% tip to a bill for groups over a certain size.

They should all do it, IMHO.

[merrily]

65. The group problems I've had have not come after the check arrives,

but rather when people announce they have to "take off" before the end of the evening, throw some bills on the table and walk out before anyone else even has a chance to see what they threw down--even if anyone had the nerve to grab it and count it.

Turns out, it's not enough to cover the food (or the drinks, if a meal is not involved), let alone tax and tip. If two or three do that, it can get to be a sizeable hit.

I have yet to have that kind of experience where the total amount thrown down turned out to be too much. So, I have trouble chalking it up to good faith miscalculation

[factsarenotfair]

68. Yes, indeed. The "mistake" is always an underpayment, never an overpayment. n/t

[Gormy Cuss]

97. A new IRS ruling may mean automatic gratuity will become rarer

because they are to be treated as wages rather than tips.

http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4062897.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

99. Leaving a hotel, a couple asked to share a tax with me. On arrival, they existed very quickly

and the husband paid half the fare (sans tip) and they walked away quickly. So there I was with the taxi driver who has just been handed $10 of a $20 fare. I paid the full tip for both of us. People can be so cheap.

[Bettie]

21. I've never had particularly bad service

Anywhere from a waiter/waitress.

If service is slow, there is usually a server there telling us the kitchen is backed up and offering to refill drinks.

If there is another problem, they usually inform us.

Wait staff generally work their butts off and get paid very little to do it.

I have seen exceptional service more often than I have poor service.

But, if I ran into a truly rude server, I would probably leave 10 or 15 percent rather than my customary 20 or more.

[rogerashton]

22. Yes!

Years ago I left a nickel tip -- I didn't want her to think I had just forgotten. She chased me into the parking lot demanding more!

[jberryhill]

23. No

It's outstandingly passive aggressive behavior to sit silently and shit on someone at the point where there is nothing that can be done to correct the situation.

And... a $60 tab for a party of 5? Where in heck are you eating?

[trumad]

90. LOL

I said I spend that easily---meaning it's usually double. Ahhh how I miss kids menus.

[tblue37]

121. I think it was a burger joint. nt

[gordianot]

25. After speaking with the manager and dealing with two checks with incorrect amount, yes.

I waited for 25 minutes and reordered three times because they were out on the item. After getting my order the check was incorrect and had to be voided. The manager was as rude as the waitress was clueless. I never raised my voice once even with the rude manager add an additional 20 minutes to pay the check............First time ever no tip all written on the check with a note.

[pipoman]

27. Yes

Not if it is the back of the house that screws up. If the server is inattentive, rude, or otherwise inept, I am likely to tell them that I am not leaving a tip because of this. If the back screws up i speak to the manager.

I run a restaurant and 5 healthcare kitchens, I spend quite a lot of time micro managing wait staff performance. If the back of the house screws up I (Executive Chef) or one of the other chefs go to the table and apologize/try to make it right.

[hifiguy]

28. Once or twice.

Last edited Wed Sep 10, 2014, 11:44 AM - Edit history (1)

Ridiculous delays in first appearing at the table, inattentive service and getting the wrong order = low or no tip.

ETA - I usually tip 20% and top-shelf service gets 30-33% from me.

[Enrique]

30. I don't want to send signals about what business people should be in

career advice from me is unreliable.

[Iggo]

51. Nicely stated.

[BuelahWitch]

32. I can think of two times

Once at iHOP a few years back, and then a pizza guy who dumped my drink in the hall and didn't deduct it from my bill. My mother was a waitress, so it takes a lot for me to give a shitty/no tip.

[Laelth]

33. I don't think there's ever an excuse to tip less than 15%.

If you think so, I doubt your commitment to labor and working people. Seriously. How bad could the service have been? Did someone spit in your food?

Servers have a very tough job, and they get paid very poorly to do it. As you rightly note, bad service is often not the fault of the server. I think a 15% tip is the dead minimum I could give and sleep well at night ... even for poor service.

-Laelth

[bunnies]

95. Same here.

Two or three bucks an hour sucks even WITH a 15% tip. I guess some people don't know what its like being a server... or have a bad day.

[jberryhill]

34. "the server is in the wrong business---or the server should try a little harder"

I find it difficult to go around judging people like that.

Maybe the server IS in the wrong business. Maybe its the only job the server could find after some other business they were in closed. What the hell do you know about their life story?

Maybe the server is having a bad day. Maybe they were forced to come in despite having a sick child or a death in the family. Maybe they are being sexually harassed by other staff... what do you know?

I find that people with hostility issues become petty tyrants given some small leverage over other people's lives, and they take it out on others in inappropriate ways.

If you are eating somewhere so cheap that the tab for a party of 5 comes to $60, I don't know whether you are expecting a foot massage and hot towels, but at least that $10 tip will go to buying another bag of oats for your polo ponies, Mr. Rockefeller.

[riderinthestorm]

42. +1. $60 for five people is diner food and the wait staff at those places RUN!

Besides, many places pool the tips. Penalizing one "bad" server actually penalizes the rest snd the bus boys.

[bullwinkle428]

69. +1000

[shenmue]

37. I try not to

I leave 15-20%, because food service is rough. I have occasionally had poor service, but even then, I try to tip moderately.

[loyalsister]

41. Yeah 10% rather than 20% or so

I live in a state where servers make less than minimum wage. Even bad service, or less than competent work doesn't justify anyone not making at least the bare minimum.
It's up to us to help make up for that travesty.

[Orsino]

44. A few times. Not in many, many years.

Servers have it rough, and things that go wrong often aren't obviously their fault. I tip very, very well, and for the truly outstanding, or on holidays, I tip extremely well.

[frazzled]

45. No, but I'll speak up

We always leave a tip of 20%, even if we're kind of pissed off; but I do have some bugaboos that, in my old age, I am not ashamed to express to the wait staff.

The biggest one is removing plates before everyone at the table is done. This happens almost universally: the waiter will whisk by and take a plate or two off the table while someone else (or more than one) is still eating. This is rude beyond belief, imo. Would you do that in your home if guests came to dinner? Never. It makes the person who didn't finish quickly enough embarrassed so that they either have to gobble down their food quickly or just say they're done when they aren't. It makes the people who finished early embarrassed. It makes everyone feel as if they just want to get rid of you. It's just wrong. Why do restaurants do this?

A few weeks ago, we met a good friend for drinks and light appetizers at a restaurant. It was early; the restaurant was not in the least crowded at this hour; we sat outside and told the waiter in advance we were just going to be having drinks and a snack. Fine. We ordered and became engaged in deep conversation (this friend had recently lost her husband unexpectedly; and he was our best friend, too). The waiter keeps coming by interrupting every five or ten minutes, removing drinks one at a time (I wasn't even finished with mine!) and trying to take away plates that still had food on them. We had to put our hands over the plates to prevent them from being removed. Finally I became bold: excuse me, but are you trying to rush us out of here? I asked. He looked totally alarmed and said, "of course not!" I softened and tried to be nice, explaining that this is what it felt like to us when he kept coming to take things away, especially without even asking. This was an upscale urban place by the way--with fancy charcuterie platters--not Chili's. I honestly think the staff is just not trained, and doesn't know. I think he thought he was being attentive. But he was really just interrupting our very intimate conversation.

I wish the etiquette were better spelled out these days. Perhaps when we sit down we should just say in advance: "by the way, we'll call you over when we want dishes removed; we prefer to wait until we are all done at the table." I don't know how else to deal with it.

Good service should be attentive but not overbearing (don't ask what we want 30 seconds after you've handed us the menu; don't come back 60 seconds after our food has been delivered and ask us how everything is; and then don't come back 10 minutes later and ask again: we're trying to talk!). Don't take away plates until it is clear that everyone at the table has finished eating. Is that too much to ask?

[CrispyQ]

58. Everything is so rushed, now

My husband & I rarely go out & when we do, we want to take our time, have a few drinks, chat, enjoy ourselves. I tell the waiter, "We're here to have a leisurely meal." Sometimes they have to be reminded but I think they appreciate it. I tip extra for a waiter who is properly attentive during a leisurely meal.


My pet peeve is the grocery store checkers. They hand you your change & immediately start the next order. I've seen them send the next customer's items down the belt when my things are still on the counter. I'm standing there trying to put my change & receipt in my wallet, make sure I have everything I paid for & the next customer is crowding in on me. It's the checker that sets the pace. Back when I was a grocery clerk, the rule was, the order is not complete until the customers items are in a bag & the bag is in the cart.

Also, "Have a good one," has replaced "Thank you." I sound like an old fart, but there is something about "Thank you" that indicates appreciation that "Have a good one" doesn't.

[frazzled]

70. I agree with your last statement

I too must sound like an old fart! Even though I was part of the counterculture, hippie generation ... for some reason I cling to some old forms of politeness that seem to have gone by the wayside these days. I tried to impart the kind of "please and thank you; respect your elders" attitude to my kids ... but things do work differently today. I can accept some parts of it, not others.

All I expect at the supermarket is "swipe your card again" or "do you want credit for bringing a bag or do you want to donate the 10 cents"? (Actually, the checkers at the Whole Foods I sometimes go to, on the South Side of Chicago, are actually pretty pleasant!)

[phylny]

117. "Have a good one" is your complaint,

"you guys" is mine. My husband and I are in our late 50s.

"Hi, how are you guys?"

"Are you guys ready to order?"

"Do you guys want dessert?"

I'm generally not their peer, and I don't need to be called "ma'am," but I don't care for the casual "you guys" at all. The only thing worse than that is being called "honey" or "sweetie." When that happens and someone says, "Can I take your order, sweetie?" I generally respond, "Yes, sweetie."

[DawgHouse]

124. I often joke that when I notice an uptick in the "sweetie" comments,

it is my signal that it's time to cover the gray hair again!

I'm not insulted when younger people call me sweetie but seriously, I hear it more often the grayer I get.

[mythology]

115. You clearly didn't grow up in my family

I'm often a slow eater. My mom had no problems getting up from the table before I was done if I was taking a long time. As long as a waiter asks if the individual is through, clearing the table while other people are eating doesn't bother me, especially if there are a large group of people. Maybe it would be different if there were just two people, but I don't think so.

[tblue37]

122. I recently went to a (not at all busy--and early for the dinner hour) restaurant with two people

who wanted to have a deep personal conversation with me about some family issues they were having.

Since there would not be any crowd for a while, we would have plenty of time to talk. When we ordered, we told the waitress that we were going to have an important private conversation, so we would appreciate not being interrupted. We said we would signal her when we were done or if we needed our drinks refilled or any dessert.

She was very pleasant and cooperative, My friends and I had a long, productive conversation, and we tipped heavily to show how much we appreciated her consideration.

So, yes, saying something up front if you want a chance to have an uninterrupted personal conversation may actually work quite well--though I would of course not try to occupy a table in a busy restaurant for so long, nor would I assume that every server would be as willing to go along with our requests as this one was, even in an empty restaurant.

[lame54]

46. it was mentioned...

they claim he was given great service because they knew who he was and were fans of his

[A Simple Game]

89. I haven't seen anyone mention one possibility. Maybe the service was "too good".

Maybe the wait staff wouldn't leave him alone, perhaps they were more fan than wait staff and just paid too much attention to him.

I don't go to a restaurant to be bothered or fawned over. I don't usually have that problem but perhaps a notable person would.

[lame54]

92. or maybe he's a dick...

lots of maybes

[A Simple Game]

93. Could be but that possibility had already been covered, I just offered another "maybe."

[CrispyQ]

47. No. If the service is that bad, I don't leave a tip at all. I've done that twice.

Otherwise they get 15% if the service is poor, 20% if it's standard & 25% if it's excellent.

That said, when I was in my 20s & would go out with a friend, also in her 20s, we would usually get terrible service from both men & women servers. We came to the conclusion that they assumed we would tip poorly, so they served us poorly, hence, we tipped poorly.

[distantearlywarning]

48. We are typically very generous to servers

20% is a minimum, and we will sometimes leave 30-50% for exceptional service.

However, there have been a few occasions when a server was horrible and it was definitely their fault. Things happen in the kitchen, I get it. But if I have to ask for something three times and I see the server flirting in the corner with the busser, I get unhappy. I have never left a .60 tip. But I have given 10% a few times over the years.

[Iggo]

49. Never.

[hrmjustin]

52. No. I just assume it is someone having a rough day and if it is common I won't

eat at the establishment.

[Gormy Cuss]

54. I hate that we have to decide how much the person's wages are rather than their management.

I hate the waiter subminimum wage.

I like dining out. The tip is just part of my cost for doing so. It's been decades since I left less than a 15% tip (and even then it was for truly horrible service from an exceptionally rude server) and it's also been decades since I used 15% as my base tip.

[eShirl]

56. I left a great tip because of shitty service.

It was student haircut at a beauty school. I felt bad because her life was crap and she was going in debt to learn something she didn't particularly enjoy, where the female students are advised to exploit male objectification of women to get bigger (or any) tips.

A tip was the last thing she expected from me and she looked absolutely stunned.

[Chathamization]

60. The current tipping system is terrible. Restaurants shouldn’t be allowed to pay servers less than

the minimum wage.

[tularetom]

61. I have once or twice left no tip at all

And that was when I encountered a server with an attitude, usually I tip in the 20-25% range. If I'm paying with plastic I calculate the tip so the total bill comes out to an even dollar amount.

On occasion, when someone else is picking up the tab and I notice them leaving a stingy tip, I'll sneak another few bucks under my plate. Of course that's hard to do if they are paying the bill with a card.

[AngryAmish]

62. Scottie Pippen is know for 2 things

1. Very good at basketball

And

2. Shitty tipper.

He has earned both reputations. He is banned at more than a few golf courses.

[upaloopa]

63. For a lot of people tipping is the only source of

power that have in their lives.
They are no position of authority in any other aspect if their life, not at work not at home or anywhere. Maybe behind the wheel where they can prevent someone from getting in their lane I front of them or when they can drive on someone's bumper in the fast lane.
But then a poor waiter making $3.00 an hour doesn't treat them live the fucking Duke of Hamburger and "I'll show him whose in control here!" leaves a shitty tip and walks out feeling ten fucking feet tall!

[MohRokTah]

66. I've left a shitty tip for shitty service.

A shitty tip from me is a precisely calculated 18% tip on the grand total of the cover (tax included). Usually, I tip between 20 and 25%. Occasionally I insure the waitron gets 1/3 for outstanding service.

[FSogol]

67. No, the worst I leave is rounding down on the 15%. I typically leave 18% for average service, 20%

for great service. I worked in the industry too long to really stiff anyone.

[PADemD]

71. Yes

I left a 5 cent tip under the plate for repeatedly being served a raw (inside) hamburger in Paris, even after I had sent the food back to the kitchen.

I also walked out of a local luncheonette when the waitress ignored me. After 30 minutes without my order being taken, I walked out. I heard from my co-workers that she became upset when she learned why I walked out.

[linuxman]

72. Yep.

It has to be something the waitress/waiter was solely responsible for, though.

I go out to eat because I want to be served. YOU bring ME my drink, food, bill, refills, etc. If you can't manage to do that with proficiency and without an attitude, then you don't get tipped. I can cook better food in my own home in most cases, but I'm there for the luxury of not having to use my time prepping it, cleaning up, and serving myself.

It has to be REALLY bad though. I'm talking no refills, sitting there for 20 minutes waiting for a check, attitude, rudeness, etc.

[Xyzse]

73. Shittiest tip I have given thus far is 15%

But, they messed things up badly.

[Throd]

74. I have left no tip because the service was so poor.

[bigwillq]

75. Yes (nt)

[cleanhippie]

76. I write "see manager for tip" if the service is bad.

Then I give a 10% tip and my comments about the service to the manager to give to the server.

People rely on tips to pay the bills in jobs like that. Even bad servers have to eat.

[gollygee]

81. No

I've talked to the manager AND left a tip. But I wouldn't just not tip, or tip just 20 cents, which is not tipping and rubbing someone's face in it.

[haele]

82. No, because I've had bad days, too.

Or I've been in a trainee position, or had to push through pain just to make it through the day, or come to work because I had to when I shouldn't have.
If I have shitty service, I tell the manager. I don't send a message through tips, because I don't know how the tips are handled especially when it comes to tipping off a card payment. I might not just be sending a message to the server who screwed up, but to everyone else at that restaurant who depends on pooled tips to supplement their typically below-minimum wage because they're "tipped" jobs.

When I can eat out, I give good service extra - 20 - 25%. I give poor service 10 - 15%, depending on what it takes to round up the bill to an even number or cash bills.

Haele

[Greybnk48]

83. Yes, but the service has to be terrible.

Having worked as a server in my youth in a place where tips were my primary income, the server has to be a complete asshat before I would do something to hurt them financially. I've only done this a handful of times over decades.

[dilby]

84. I had to think about this for a long time and the answer is no.

I generally leave 15-20% but have been known to leave 50-100% tips based on exceptional service that was above and beyond anything I have ever seen. The reason I had to think about this is because I can't remember the last time I received poor service, I am super friendly and always treat people who work in the service industry with the highest respect and address them as people of value not servants like I see so many people do. I have seen people having a bad day and you can just tell when they get to your table they are having one of those days, instead of being hostile I always say something nice to them and just be a friendly as possible and always tell them how much I appreciate them when they fill my water, coffee, tea or whatever beverage. You would be surprised how a simple "Thank you so much, I really appreciate that" goes when someone does a simple gesture.

Oh I also always tip the guys at the bike repair shop which I don't think anyone does, whenever I take my bike in for maintenance I always tip the mechanics $10. Most of the stuff they are doing are stuff I could do like adjusting the brakes or my derailleurs but with my bike I prefer an expert to do it, most of this maintenance is like 10 minutes of work and I think they undercharge me at $15 so I always tip.

[Xithras]

85. I've declined to tip because of horrendous service.

I don't see the point in a reduced tip. The point of a tip is to compensate the waiter for service. If the service is truly appalling, there's nothing to compensate for. I've only withheld a tip a few times, but only when the service was so bad that it was beyond the pale.

Like the time when a waitress quit serving my table halfway through our service. It wasn't bad service, she just flat-out refused to acknowledge us. When I walked up to a manager to complain, the manager explained that the waitress didn't want to serve us because my friend was gay, and "serving him offends her" (gotta love small towns in the Central Valley). While the manager finished our service herself, you could tell she wasn't happy about it.

They got no tip, no repeat business, and one of the vilest Yelp reviews I've ever written.

[Spider Jerusalem]

86. Every time something like this comes up?

I can't help but think that the USA's bizarre tipping culture is to blame, more than anything else. Servers should be paid better than they are. A tip should be a gratuity for excellent service, not something one leaves just because it's expected. If a tip is expected then the restaurant should add a 15-20% service charge automatically.

[MurrayDelph]

87. I tip based on service

Many years ago, I went with some friends to a restaurant where the waiter took one look at us, decided we were bad tippers, and proceeded to ignore us as much as possible, thereby proving himself right. On our way out, we generously tipped the busboy who refilled our beverages and bread (even though it wasn't his job here), and on our way out suggested to the manager that those two people switch jobs.

I have also tipped over 30% when we got exceptionally good service. And on the way out spoken to the manager to compliment the server.

To the people who say to never complain to the management because it might cause the bad server his/her job, I would like you to think of all the moms and pops who plunk down their life savings to open a restaurant. If a bad employee is going to cost me my business, I want it addressed.

[RadicalGeek]

88. Not Personally

But one time when I was visiting Baltimore with my Aunt, her friend, and My Mom and Sisters, my Aunt was so frustrated with the service that she literally put her .02 in!

I have also personally done the opposite, left a good tip when a server went above and beyond--IMO.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

91. you are not a famous person. to think that a famous person would ever get .20c worthy service

is fundamentally an inability to understand how the lives of the rich/famous differ from us

[ZombieHorde]

94. I would be willing to stiff my server if I didn't like the service I received.

However, I don't think I have ever had service bad enough to not tip.

The service would have to be epically bad for me to talk to the manager.

[madinmaryland]

96. Shit tru! You did mean to say $60 per person, didn't you? Filet Mignon for everyone.

Where do you go where the tab is $60 for five adults? Steak-n-Shake??

Unless the server is a complete jackass, then they will get at least close to 15%, regardless of the meal and service. Did you ever think why the service may have been shittty? Lack of training, poor management, etc. Hopefully you were not being a jackwagon towards the servers.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

98. I start every meal with the assumption of a 20% tip

It can up with great service, or down with really bad service from the server. Not because I don't like the food, or it isn't prepared well, or anything that is outside the ability of the server to correct.

I'm not impatient or hard to please, and always treat servers with the respect they deserve, so it takes a lot to get a shitty tip from me, but it's happened twice.

[Shankapotomus]

100. Waitress

Come on baby leave some change behind
She was a bitch but I don't care
She brought our food out on time
And wore a funky barrette in her hair

Come on baby leave some change behind
She was a bitch but good enough
To leave some change everybody's good
Enough for some change

The girl's got family
She needs cash to buy aspirin for
Her pain everybody's good enough
For some change

We all get the flu we all get aids
We've got to stick together
After all, everybody's good enough
For some change, some fucking change

[reflection]

136. one of my favorite Live tunes

Thank you

[Warpy]

101. 10% is rock bottom for me

I've never had service so bad that I'd walk out. It would take thrown food and fisticuffs for that.

[still_one]

102. I usually tip 20%. However, a very few times when service was bad I left 10%, which some I suspect

would say does not send a message

[tazkcmo]

103. 25 years in food service

I start at 25% and it can go down or up from there. Because of my history in the industry, it takes some pretty bad service to cut the tip real low (Say, 10% or lower) but I have done it but I also told the server why. As you said, sometimes it's not their fault but when it is, it's deserved.

[etherealtruth]

105. If the server is rude/ disinterested ... if the service (note not the food) is truly horrible

It is very unusual for this to occur (I eat out frequently) .... but every couple of years it does .... and NO I do not feel compelled to leave a 20% tip

[MADem]

106. I haven't had service so bad I've ever needed to do that. Lucky me.

I left a 22 percent tip the other day for a young lady who dumped a glass of water on me. She was a college kid and it was pretty obvious she was over-extended--someone must not have shown up for work.

It was a complete accident, the water-dumping; the young lady was mortified; it was just water; it was a hot day and we were dining al fresco; so I just laughed it off. The rest of the service was superb.

My dining companions made jokes about the "ice bucket challenge." By the time we left, my un-fancy clothes were dry as a bone!

[cwydro]

107. I read once that the ultimate insult to a server

is to leave two pennies (in addition to the tip). It means the service was not worth two cents. and I have done that.
On penny is a compliment (with tip of course)

[elleng]

108. Yes.

[3catwoman3]

109. Only once, while I was a grad student.

An incredibly rude waitress, who was very terse, and when we asked for water, she basically threw the glasses on the table, slopping water all over the table top. My classmates and I left a penny so she wouldn't think we had just forgotten.

[laundry_queen]

110. No.

But as a 14 year old busgirl who was forced to be a waitress to an entire, jam-packed full restaurant when 2 waitresses didn't show up I am familiar with getting shitty tips for shitty service. Most people are pretty understanding though - there were some people who felt so bad for me (it was a small town so I knew a few people who showed up that really busy morning) that they gave me huge tips - especially when they found out how old I was, and saw the owner's wife yelling at me (but not doing anything to lend a hand). Yeah, I quit the following week. It was too much for me at 14.

But I sure remember what it's like so I tend to give MORE for good service, but not LESS for bad service. Much of the time shitty service can be because the cook is slow or the place is short staffed. It's not always the fault of the server. Probably the only time I'd really cut a tip is if the server was being an outright asshole.

[AngryOldDem]

111. We once generously tipped a bus boy.

We went out to eat and decided not to order alcohol. Up until that point, our server was friendly. When he realized that we weren't going to be running up a booze bill, he more or less left us high and dry. The bus boy, however, was great -- attentive, there to refill our drinks, checking on our order, asking if everything was okay, etc. So at the end of the evening we went out of our way to find him and give him the tip that would otherwise have gone to the server, while the server got jack shit. Which he deserved.

Even if it's expected, dammit, you have to earn it.

On the flip side, we have tipped generously for truly outstanding service, and have told management so on the way out.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

129. Way back in the dawn of time, I was a bus boy at a 'York Steak House'.

I think it was a chain, but I'm not sure how big of one. Cafeteria style steak place, as the name sort of implies. Helped an elderly couple with their trays, made sure they were ok several times, and when I went to clear away when they were leaving, the guy put a fiver in my hand and said it was specifically for me, since the 'hostess' hadn't done crap for them. This was at a time when a tip on their normal meal probably would have run a buck.

At any rate, the 'hostess' saw him give me the money, and ran to tell management that I was 'taking tips'. Apparently, bus boys don't get tips, even if the customers wanted them to have them, and the manager forced me to hand over that $5 to the hostess even though I told him what the customer had said. I was one of the most conscientious employees they had, showed up early, stayed late, did a lot of work even off the clock simply to make sure we weren't going to be behind on my shift, and to leave the next shift starting off caught up. Was 'promoted' (without raise) to dishwasher, which meant staying sometimes til 12:30 in the morning. But when school started up again, I didn't even consider continuing to work there even part time, because of the crap they pulled on me with that tip, even when they offered me a raise. I didn't want to work with folks like that.

[AngryOldDem]

135. We sought out the kid when we were leaving.

We weren't going to leave the money on the table for someone who did not deserve a cent of it to get, and we wanted him to have it all. The kid looked genuinely surprised, and then happy when we told him why he was getting the money. It felt good to recognize someone's good work, as well as to make his night.

My ex was both a bus boy and a waiter and he has told stories about stingy and rude customers (a 6 cent tip for a party of six, or a Bible tract in place of a tip, for just two examples) that make me respect the job more. He is very attuned to what is/is not good service and always tips accordingly.

[BlueJazz]

113. I always tip. I never know when conditions beyond anybody's control are present.

[kiva]

114. Twice in 40+ years.

Both were attitude issues. I've waited tables and tip well but it is possible to lose a tip from me...difficult, but possible.

[phylny]

116. Never. I'll leave 15% instead of my usual 20%.

What I will do (and have done) is write a review regarding the service on one of the local review sites, and if it's really bad, I'll write the management.

I do not go to the restaurant again, either.

[Matariki]

118. It would suck to have each and every hour's rate of pay dependent on someone's whim.

[DrDan]

125. yep - little diner in New Smyrna Beach

We used to go there for breakfast weekly - back in the days when the no-smoking rules were being put into place.

These little places would identify smoking and non-smoking tables with little signs.

My wife and I went in and picked out a place nowhere near a smoking table. Some friends of a waitress came in and wanted a table next to us - but were smokers. This waitress simply changed the signs.

No tip - and no doubt as to why.

[hollysmom]

126. I asked a waiter if he was ignoring my female friend and I.

He said that men leave bigger tips - and so it was. I do not like getting served last after coming in almost first. Plus this waiter was prescient.

[Bonx]

127. Sometimes I never make it there. I'll just walk if our order isn't taken w/in 15 min.

I'll allow a little more time for dinner, or if I really want to eat there.
But sitting at a table waiting for the 1st interaction for 15 minutes feels like eternity.
Especially at lunch, when I'm in a hurry.

[vi5]

128. Nope. Shitty service is a 10% tip.

In most cases tips are part of salary. I've had enough of my own days where I did a shitty job for any number of reasons, and I still get my salary. I get that the job is "service" and mine isn't, but I'm still not willing to do that. And I've had some bad service in my time.

[daredtowork]

130. I hate the entire idea of tips

It relies on the honor of the people tipping and their understanding of the current going rate (i.e., elderly people still think it's normal to tip 10 percent). There has been mission creep for customers to make up for low wages across service sectors, allowing business to claim they are offering lower prices than they actually do (sort of like airlines compete on a low price for the ticket but then make it up in baggage fees and such).

Moreover it's unfair a person at a restaurant with cheaper food might give service just as great as at a restaurant with expensive food, but they will take home a lot less just because 15% of the cost of the food is less!

This system also pushes additional tax reporting complications on low-end workers. And creates more problems for the IRS as well!

The entire system just allows for too much deception and dishonesty, and it's being upheld by the notion that occasionally wait-people make "super" tips for their "exceptional" service: as if they've competed for that tip and won it!

I think we need to make minimum wage the law across all sectors: no "tipped" exceptions. Then those restaurants can raise their prices to cover it and tell their customer they will break even because they no longer have to tip. And if millions of customers scream they can't afford it, then we know that's how many restaurant workers were being deprived of a living wage.

[ann---]

131. Yes

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

132. When the service was absolutey terrible, indeed I have left no tip.

Which usually entailed not having been served at all.

Such as when I was in an empty restaurant with three work colleagues at two in the afternoon. There was nobody there except the four of us and a table of frat boys. The three waitresses never left the frat boys side (except to text) while our food was delivered at practically room temperature.

[kwassa]

134. I have also left no tip. No service, no tip. That is how it works.

Waiting 45 minutes to get a menu after being seated. Being repeatedly ignored by the waitress. Having to get up, walk across the entire restaurant and accost the waitress to get her attention. Still getting bad service, and attitude after that.

I have also been in the empty restaurant with the disappearing server. Quite like the Twilight Zone.

[Hoyt]

133. Not really. Unless someone treats me like crud. People can have a bad day.

Plus, I don't look at wait staff as servants. Tips are part of their salary. They have family..It's a darn tough job, and there are lot'a of Ahole customers. There are usually others sharing in the tips too.

I do tip much better than 20% for exceptional "service." But I generally prefer waiting on myself, if possible.