Just a reminder that minimum wage for wait staff in most states is $2.13 an hour. Not tipping really isn’t an option.
Dudes. If the person does not perform their job in a respectful manner then sometimes they don’t deserve a tip. It’s not always because people are cheap.
dude, i’ve worked as a server. i made $2.13 an hour because tipped employees are expected to earn enough tips to bring them up to minimum wage. i had people with $100 checks who left me TWO CENTS because their steak came out before their salad did. i had $200 group checks who ran me ragged getting this and that and then left me nothing because their fries were cold. i had one particularly nasty group of teenagers who left my tip in change in the bottom of a milkshake glass, all because i had ten other tables and i couldn’t get everything they wanted when they wanted it. i could work 16-hour shifts and still come home with only $20 to show for it, half of which immediately went into my car for the fuel to drive back and do it all over again the next day. my boss had to give me food from the kitchens because i was literally starving, and it didn’t help that if we had a slow night and none of the servers got paid very much, we all had to split our tips. can you imagine having to share your already-miniscule pay with someone who did half as much work as you did just because they didn’t get as much business?
i don’t care how slow, clumsy, confused, or bad at their job they are – you don’t know what the reason is, and if you decide they deserve to starve because you think you getting your salad on time is more important than whether or not they’re going to have anything to show for a day’s work, then yes, you’re cheap, and self-centered besides. unless your server cusses you out and intentionally throws your dinner on you, TIP THEM.
also, often times if someone isn’t doing their job well or seems crabby when they come to your table, they’ve probably just had a shitty table. and often times if someone isn’t super quick with running food, they aren’t lazy, they’re busy. no one in a restaurant wants you to be waiting.
my checks i get are literally $0. every two weeks, $0. i depend on people who come into the restaurant i work at to make money. half the time it sucks and half the time it’s more than enough and it’s awesome. but i bust my ass far too often for cheap assholes. i wish y’all would learn to tip more than 10% or just go to the mcdonald’s down the street for a burger.
Tipping is so important. Don’t be a cheap asshole.