It's the THINGS THAT IRK YOU thread - not hockey related

[Rylant]

Tipping... It's an interesting debate. I have worked in the restaurant industry my entire life. Right now, I am in management, but I did serve tables for years. My opinion of tipping has never changed. First of all, let me say that the servers and bartenders and cocktailers in my restaurant all do very well for themselves. We have some serve staff who are putting themselves through university and are planning on an eventual different career path, and we also have some career servers; servers who have done this for years, and this is their sole source of income. They are able to live fairly well; they drive nice cars and live in nice homes. Sure, none of them drive Ferraris and none of them have million dollar mansions, but none of them are living on the streets; they are all able to put food on their tables and pay their mortgages.

The fact is, we have 3 types of customers. 1) Customers who always tip well, regardless of service. 2) Customers who always tip poorly, regardless of service. And 3) Customers whose tip is specifically relative to the service and food provided. As a server, I never expected a tip... EVER... As a manager, I tell my servers to never expect tips. Tipping is one of the only things that the customer controls in the "Dining out experience". Every time one of my servers tells me that they provided exceptional service and they received a poor tip, I tell them the same thing; "That sucks. Sorry. However, it is the customer's right to decide how much to tip, and that is exactly the way it should be." I am also against automatic gratuity for large parties.

Servers will ALWAYS tell you about the time that they gave great service and got stiffed, but you will rarely hear about the time when they coasted through a dining experience "Phil Kessel" style, and they still received a $100 tip on a $200 bill. I tell my servers that there will be times when they receive a tip which is higher than they deserve, and they will at times not get the tip that is worthy of the service they provided. There will be good tips, and there will be bad tips, and at the end of the day, they tend to even out. I tell my servers that if they never expect a tip, they will never be disappointed. I tell my servers that if they can't take the swings of tips; if they can't take the good with the bad, then the service industry is probably not for them; let me know, and I will gladly provide them with a reference so that they can go work at Staples and not have to worry about the "bad tips" that they might get ever again.

I have also fired servers for the poor way they have handled themselves after receiving a bad tip.

Rylant

[Atomic Wedgy]

Thanks for the perspective Rylant. It is exactly why I think tipping is stupid. Its completely subjective and worse than that, sometimes people wont tip even when its a good job done. People should not have to rely on tips for their pay to be adequate. You work to get paid. Your employer should give you a fair wage so you can live without having to rely on a gratuity. I have a bar around the corner from work. We have gone there at least once a week for the last three years. I have not given a single tip at that bar. Wait staff do not expect a tip and if they got one, it would likely be the only one for a while. That is b/c the employer gives them a good wage. He runs a good bar, with good food and really good tap beer. He charges a premium for that excellent tap beer. $10-14 for a 440ml glass. I think that is slightly expensive, but not enough to bother me. He makes a good living and provides his wait staff with a job that pays them enough to live on and save a bit on the side. If businesses down here can be successful without their wait staff having to rely on tips, it can work anywhere.

Money means a lot to people. Dont make money dependent on someones arbitrary reasoning for giving a tip or for not giving a tip. It only causes strife.

[2014olympicgold]

Another tip story from me:
When I was in Italy last yr, we found our way to an American bar. Bunch of NA were in it with football games and hockey games on the tvs. Pretty solid looking place for a “change” of pace. Bartenders were clearly from Boston with their accents. First beer we got, they looked at us and pointed to the tip jar and said, “are you not going to tip?”. Damn straight I’m not now. Tipping in Europe is like how I see it should be. Great (quick in a bar) service gets you something extra. Average service may get you something if I’m feeling good that day. Poor service gets you nothing. It is not something they do automatically; it is something people do like how a typical mindset works. You do good, you get good. You score a few goals on the third line; you get moved up and get more minutes. You do well at work, you get a bonus. +

The history of tipping makes sense for way back when tho. Pre-depression, tipping was done mostly prior to the meal in a sense of, “Here’s a $20, make sure I get the big cut of steak, clean glasses, and priority service”. It wasn’t widely accepted because people believed everyone should be on a level playing surface so to speak. But some accepted the money as you would expect. During the depression, business owners told the servers they should accept it because the owners couldn’t afford to pay the servers like they used to. Obviously it’s the depression, and not a lot of people would even go out, but the rich still would and they’d be able to tip. So post-depression, everyone has money again. Tipping is happening more and more. Owners are making money like pre-depression time, but most see this as an opportunity to make MORE money. They keep telling their servers to take the tips because they can’t pay them, meanwhile they are pocketing the extra cash. Eventually, it is the norm for servers to get paid cheaply and accept tips while the owners are making more money. That’s one of the reasons why it is the situation with tipping in North America and not in Europe, Asia, Australia and such.

[mounD]

People like Big Ev who hate women without even realizing it. They need to die off, methinks.

[Big Ev]

MounD, you need to take your bullshit to another forum. Hating radical feminists (who are generally rude people) does not mean you hate women. Aren't you a male yourself?

[Slug]

People like Big Ev who hate women without even realizing it. They need to die off, methinks.

Its this kind of stuff that made me stop using this forum for an extended period of time. You don't know Big Ev on a personal level so to say people like him need to die off is ridiculous. Just because he doesn't agree with your stance/position on a particular subject does not mean he hates women.

[2014olympicgold]

People like Big Ev who hate women without even realizing it. They need to die off, methinks.

geez-us chris. you went way over the line on that one.

[Axeman33]

geez-us chris. you went way over the line on that one.

I'm Chris, mounD isn't.

[2014olympicgold]

I'm Chris, mounD isn't.

i didnt want to say jesus christ thinking mounD would jump all over that somehow

[Axeman33]

i didnt want to say jesus christ thinking mounD would jump all over that somehow

LOL! Understood.

[Big Ev]

For things that IRK me. How about small talk. I get it for people you rarely see, but why do people wanna ask the same questions every day and whey they see me every single day? Just say hi and move on!

[2014olympicgold]

For things that IRK me. How about small talk. I get it for people you rarely see, but why do people wanna ask the same questions every day and whey they see me every single day? Just say hi and move on!

OMG, that gets on my nerves too. A guy at work, at least 3 times a day, “every good? whats up with you? Good Good, anything wrong you come to me. GF still good?” A simple head nod and a “Hi” would suffice. I’ve actually become quite abrasive with this guy when he asks me the same questions because it’s gotten so annoying.

[Bomm Bastic]

lol...

You can now add self righteous indignation to my list.

[ericdaoust]

You might want to put on headphones for this one, especially if you're at work lol

[Atomic Wedgy]

People like Big Ev who hate women without even realizing it. They need to die off, methinks.

MounD, I appreciate your cause and the fact that you seem quite passionate about it. However, this post is fairly hateful itself. At best, it is quite antagonistic. Please dont post like this.