"Mandatory" Tipping

[saucelife90]

I just read an interesting article about a waitress that made 100k in a year - after tax. The article goes on to state - obviously 100k is the high end, but the average Canadian server is making around $30/hr with tips. I know there was a discussion that was brought up in the "Ottawa Uber Video" thread that touched on today's society and tipping, but I was just curious what everyone's opinion on tipping was.

Personally, I tip 15%, 90% of the time (good or bad service). The other 10% I will tip 20-25% if the service is above and beyond a usual encounter with a server, and the odd time (once or twice) I've given a 10% tip because of absolute horrid service.

The article is here if anyone wants to give it a read;

https://nationalpost.com/news/the-10..._autoplay=true

[2014olympicgold]

I had a friend who was a bartender in Toronto and would go home with $1,000 in just a night of working (maybe 8hrs). Being a server isn't that bad if you're good and working in a good place.

Same girl quickly rose to being someone who restaurants wanted to come in and revamp their whole business, but she wanted to be just a bartender because it's such easy money.

The key is, if you're good. If you're not, it's stressful, and the pay diminishes and then there's the whole "I'm not getting shifts" thing. It's also way better to work at night, and that can't happen if you're a parent. Which I think is the issue. People who complain are the ones who can't work the night shift till 2am in a club, or aren't hired to be the bartender because they're 40yrs old and lets be honest, the drunk frat rich guy isn't tipping the 40yr old mom who is prolly too tired from her day to give off that happy vibe.

[CascadeFilly]

Personally, I tip 15%, 90% of the time (good or bad service). The other 10% I will tip 20-25% if the service is above and beyond a usual encounter with a server, and the odd time (once or twice) I've given a 10% tip because of absolute horrid service.

This is pretty much how I tip, as well.

[Atomic Wedgy]

Tipping is not a thing in New Zealand. It is not at all expected. Its the responsibility of the employer to provide a good wage.

[PenguinHunter]

Tipping is not a thing in New Zealand. It is not at all expected. Its the responsibility of the employer to provide a good wage.

I am all for this style. I think its the way a business should be ran. That the employees receive a wage that is suitable for the work they do.

Does the secretary at my office get tipped? No, so I am responsible to ensure she gets a good wage and that come's out of my company's bottom line.

Does the nurse that provides you with life-saving care get tipped? No, so that is coming out of our tax money.

So why is it that a Restaurant or Bar gets to pay their employees like crap and expect the customers to pay the additional portion of the wage.

Disclaimer, I tip our of obligation. But I wish that tipping was something that meant something for the service that people received. I do not think that someone should be obligated to tip 15% because it allows a server an out to not perform to the best of their ability. I think tipping should be optional and if I received great service than I will tip. If the restaurant is not going to survive because they cant afford higher wages, then put the additional percentage on the food (not like they aren't doing that already).

[forumname]

I've lived places where tipping virtually doesn't exist (^New Zealand included), and I vastly prefer it to the way we do it here in North America. Service can suffer a little bit when they aren't desperate to suck up to you for tips, but with tipping removed from the equation it's usually pretty tolerable.

I also worked in the restaurant industry for ~5 years and have seen first hand how much servers can make. Even in little diners with no alcohol sales, they would usually make a minimum of $100 in an 8 hour day shift. It's a stressful job for sure, but it's low skill with virtually no prerequisites, so it's ridiculous to see many of them making so much off of our guilt and strange sense of duty.

I really wish we could cut tipping out entirely. Raise the menu prices 15%, give the servers a 15% raise and be done with it. Servers will whine and cry about not being able to "make a living" without their precious tips, but that's a joke. It's the way it works for everyone else, and they are welcome to chase higher paying opportunities like the rest of us.

[finnys_fanatsy]

I am all for this style. I think its the way a business should be ran. That the employees receive a wage that is suitable for the work they do.

Does the secretary at my office get tipped? No, so I am responsible to ensure she gets a good wage and that come's out of my company's bottom line.

Does the nurse that provides you with life-saving care get tipped? No, so that is coming out of our tax money.

So why is it that a Restaurant or Bar gets to pay their employees like crap and expect the customers to pay the additional portion of the wage.

Disclaimer, I tip our of obligation. But I wish that tipping was something that meant something for the service that people received. I do not think that someone should be obligated to tip 15% because it allows a server an out to not perform to the best of their ability. I think tipping should be optional and if I received great service than I will tip. If the restaurant is not going to survive because they cant afford higher wages, then put the additional percentage on the food (not like they aren't doing that already).

i saids it in teh Uber thread..

if you did good work (not even superb) ill tip you 10-15%, if you went above and beyond its a 20%.... if you did the least possible..you get zero...its not my job to suplement your wage.

[doulos]

I used to be dead set against tipping, but I listened to an Econtalk podcast that discussed it and it made me rethink it as not so clear. Give it a listen if you'd like.

http://www.econtalk.org/anthony-gill-on-tipping/

[Grapes]

I concur what Penguin Hunter started above.

I basically tip based on the experience, not by the dollar value of the purchase. It didn’t make much sense to me to tip a couple bucks for a beer and a 1/4 or 1/2 dollar for a cup of coffee when the amount of work involved to provide either to me is the same.

Funny story. While in a pub in Ireland a couple years ago I was paying our tab at the bar. I asked if they had a tip jar. The server took an almost empty beer mug from behind him on the bar, emptied it out and placed it in front of me. There you go he said. I dropped my tip into the mug and had a good laugh. They don’t tip as a custom. Plus the server doesn’t bring you the bill. You have to ask for it or go the the cashier. They told me they don’t bring the bill because it is a sign indicating they want you to finish and leave. They prefer you finish and leave when you’re ready. The service is usually superb.

[Rylant]

I worked in the industry for over 20 years. The fact is, that servers tend to make a pretty good living, however, it isn't consistent. When I served, I didn't complain when I received a tip that wasn't very good, and I never bragged when I received a really good tip. I work for the government of Canada now, and although the benefits and the job security are amazing, I don't make anywhere near what I made as a server.

It really bothered me when a server would complain about a tip they had received. In most cases, these types of servers will complain about a 5 percent tip, but then an hour later, they receive a 25 percent tip; you never hear about that one.

To me it comes down to this. A tip is one thing that the customer has control over. I would never expect somebody to tip anything, however, as a server I was extremely grateful when they did. Auto gratuity on large tables is bullshit. If a server can't handle the fact that they might take home 5 dollars one night, and 250 dollars the next night, then they should probably find something more stable and consistent for them.

I tend to tip on the high end, mostly because I was in the industry for so long. If I am out with my family or friends, and they don't tip what I feel the service dictates, I will say something. However, if you are somebody I don't know and you don't feel the need to tip, I think that is a shame but I also think that is completely your prerogative.

Rylant

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Rylant

[lucafen4]

Often that 8 hour server shift is a split shift working 11-2 or 12-3 and then back 4-9/5-10.... and most times stay at the restaurant all for the two hours in between... That 8hr paid shift, is often 10-11 hours in total.

not all servers make $100 in tips a day on an 8 hour shift. Try working at a place like Swiss Chalet and where you never get an 8 hour shift to begin with. We should also remember... What a server makes on Fri/sat is a lot more and a lot different than what they make Mon-Wed.

I've been on both sides of it. Where I've worked a split on a Friday (At a Swiss) and walked with $60-$80 in tips - that was normal. To working an 8 hour shift at a trendy restaurant (and getting an $80 tip from a table of 4) to a upper end family restaurant where on an 8-hour Fri shift I would walk with $250.

it paid my way through Univ. I avoided loans. the only place I think mandatory tipping should be considered is with large groups. Everyone seems to assume someone else will leave the big tip. Always got screwed on groups over 20....

by the way - if you're in a group of 10 or more over the holidays. expect an extra 2min per person on top of the normal 15-20 min wait. That's just the way it is.

[ericdaoust]

If tipping is mandatory then it's no longer a tip.

[audiopile]

Rylant and Steve Buscemi got it right.

I traveled 8 different countries over 5 weeks in Europe this summer and ate out almost exclusively. Every country had different "societal expectations" and that gave me some perspective on tipping. Some places the tip is merely a round up of the bill to the nearest 'dollar' regardless of the size of the bill, others it was already in the price, and others still are like Canada where its a percentage of the un-taxed cost.

One pub was a bit odd because they would ask for money as soon as you were served. For every drink, and even the food. How can you pay for the food or tip on it before you have even tasted it?? Turns out - best pub burger I ever had in my life. Go figure.

These different "rules" didn't always correlate with the experience but for the most part if the tip was already in the price of the food as seen on the menu then the service was poor; and when it was extra, the server would work for it. For this reason I'd consider Mandatory Tipping bullsh*t.

Essentially, in order to not be considered an A-hole by the establishment and your table mates, you gotta go with the flow on this one. If you didn't like the service or food then you really should give an explanation as to why you aren't tipping or just leaving a small tip. Also, if you plan to eat out you should consider the tip as part of your budget.

[rataylor22]

I tip enough to cover tip out plus a little on top. Canada already pays a suitable wage, Canadians are just desperate to emulate America. There’s no reason to tip in Canada and it should be elminated.

Also, if you’re passibly decent it’s more than easy to make $100 in 8 hours, even at a place like Swiss Chalet on a Tuesday. It’s honestly a little embarrassing if you cant pull that in. Has to be pretty bad/slow service.

A servers job is to serve you, just like a managers job is to manage, just like it’s a barista’s job to make your coffee. I worked in the industry for 10 years and tip less because of that. I have first hand knowledge of how easy the job actually is.

[The Comish]

I'm a little on the frugal side, but try to tip 15% if the service was decent. I won't go back to a place that has mandatory tipping (it's not like I research this before I go out), but I don't care to tell anyone because who am I? Nobody. If enough people just stop going to those places, they'll eventually go out of business. I don't really care, there are plenty of restaurants to eat at.