#RandomThoughts #Tipping #CustomerService #Hospitality #ServerLife
Do you ever find yourself pondering random thoughts that leave you scratching your head? One of those thoughts that often sparks debate is the concept of percentage tipping. 🤔💭 Why is it weird that a customer buying a more expensive meal has nothing to do with the server’s effort, yet they are expected to tip a higher percentage? Let’s dive into this perplexing topic and unravel the mysteries behind tipping culture.
The Inequality of Percentage Tipping
When you sit down at a restaurant, the common practice is to tip your server a percentage of the total bill. But have you ever stopped to think about the inherent inequality in this system? A server’s level of effort and service quality should be the main factors influencing their tip, not the price of the meal. 🍽️💸
Think about it: If two customers order the exact same meal at a restaurant, one choosing the most expensive dish on the menu while the other opts for a more affordable option, should the server’s tip really be determined by the cost of the meal? It seems unfair to expect a higher tip simply because someone chose to splurge on a pricier item.
Real-Life Example:
Imagine you’re a server working at a fine dining establishment. One night, you have two tables with equally demanding customers. Table A orders the most expensive steak on the menu, while Table B sticks to salads. Both tables require the same level of attention, yet Table A is expected to tip you more simply because they spent more money. Does that seem right to you?
Redefining Tipping Norms
It’s time to rethink the way we approach tipping in the hospitality industry. Instead of basing tips on the total bill, why not focus on the quality of service provided by the server? By shifting the tipping paradigm to reflect the effort and skill of the server rather than the cost of the meal, we can create a more equitable system for both customers and servers alike. 💡✨
Takeaway:
Consider tipping based on the level of service you receive, rather than the price of your meal. Your server’s hard work and dedication should be the primary factors influencing their tip, not the cost of your dinner.
In conclusion, percentage tipping is indeed a strange concept that raises questions about fairness and equality in the hospitality industry. By reevaluating our tipping norms and focusing on the quality of service provided, we can create a more balanced and just system for all parties involved. Next time you dine out, remember to tip with gratitude for exceptional service, not just for the price of your meal. 🙌🍷
Sure. And the difference between a $12 entree and an $18 entree is only about a buck in tip if you’re tipping 15-20%.
But the difference between a $20 meal for one person and a $200 meal for a party of ten is more like $30, and that’s both meaningful and warranted. The difference between a family of four ordering just entrees and coming in at $60 vs ordering appetizers, drinks, entrees, and desserts and coming in at $120 is around $10 and that accounts for more trips bussing the food and clearing plates and etc.
I always tip on amount not percentage anyways
You’re correct, it’s devised to make the owner more money: you’re incentivized to sell more / more expensive items
The really weird thing i don’t get is tipping on alcohol and “nice” (expensive) restaurants.
Like why in the world do we tip 5x on a $150 bottle of wine vs a $30 bottle of wine?
Exactly, it’s not like I’m getting any higher quality service because I ordered the Filet Mignon instead of the Reuben. If the tips went to the chef, I would be more on-board.
Especially since kids meals are the cheapest thing on the menu, but usually end up being the most work for service staff. I try to tidy up after my kid and always leave a little extra when dining with kids, but my $30 entree was less work than my kid’s $10 meal, including the unavoidable dropped silverware or spilled drink.
I think the difference in tip would be marginal at best if were talking about the same restaurant. While I agree that the tipping culture is out of hand what would the price difference really be? You’re more then likely going to have two different style restaurant experiences for it to make a difference. One restaurant that sells steaks for $15 and another that sells them for $200.
Absolutely.
I’l probably get downvoted for this but I try to tip based on service. If I’m getting half priced apps at Applebees I might only be paying $10 for a meal and a drink, but I’m tipping 50% of that, if I’m at a fancy restaurant and buying a $50 steak, I’m probably only tipping 10% of that.
The server is doing the same amount of work regardless, I feel like it’s a fair assessment.
Tipping is weird. Fucking well pay your staff correctly in the first place! 🤷♂️
I’ve been called cheap for not including a 150$ wine bottle when calculating a tip.
Tipping is weird.
Restaurants should be paying their employees a fair wage and should factor this into the prices they charge for food, rather than customers having to ensure servers can make a fair living.
This is just an opinion based on my own anecdotal experience:
If you don’t want to tip, then don’t tip. Simple as that. No one who works in the service industry for the long haul cares if you get up and leave without tipping. What waiters and bartenders DO care about is if you were a colossal pain-in-the-dick to deal with. Otherwise, the prevailing attitude is it doesn’t really matter what an individual customer tips (or not at all) as it all evens out in the wash.
Again, don’t tip if you don’t want to. Most of us don’t really care as long as you’re not being shitty.
I had this thought like two months ago and have been telling everyone this.
True but in many places your tip goes to the server, but also split out to the bartender and expo in the kitchen, who are also working more when the bill is higher
Same with how pissed servers get when you just have ice water with the meal, not the $4 for a tea or soda, definitely not the $12 frozen drink “special”…
Tipping is weird because we already pay the servers wage through inflated menu prices.
It’s an outdated custom originating in *medieval* times. Best to throw it in the fuckit bucket.
Well jokes on them I never percentage tip. I give a flat rate based upon service when I am eating at a restaurant. I have given $20 tips before if I have a great server.
If I have food delivered, I start at $5 and if they have to drive more than 4 miles one way it goes up. I don’t base it on how much I order, it’s how far they have to go to get it and I figure cost of gas for them. I must be doing something right because drivers always pick up my orders pretty quickly and they almost always come straight to me after picking it up.
When my wife and I first got together she would often ask the server what they recommend and I told her they are always going to recommend the most expensive meals. Then we watched it happen like 10 meals in a row.
I get the idea, which is more expensive = more food = more work for server, but in practice, it doesn’t always work that way.
Tipping makes no sense in any respect. The job pays what it pays, if you don’t like it, blame the person who decided on the wage.
Well, the server sold you the more expensive meal. It’s a commission on that.
I just like giving more money to people who put in extra effort
thats why you tip 100%
half for the chef, half for the server who brought it over.
Tipping in general is weird and a stupid practice
This is why tipping is silly and I’m glad the UK doesn’t do it
Everything about tipping is weird.
So tipping is weird anyway. But if we are looking past that more expensive meals should be tipped more for 2 reasons.
1. at the same restaurant party size is usually the most impactful thing on the bill and a bigger party means more tip because it’s more work. Which I think everyone can agree on.
2. After party size the thing that determines the price most is the choice of restaurant and the more expensive the restaurant the smaller the number of covers per server. For example if you’re going to a pub you might have 20 tables that share a server, that’s fair they get 20 tables tipping a bit which adds up. If you go somewhere really high end you might get 2 tables to a server and they are serving you instantly and taking care of everything to make sure you have the best experience. So tipping as a % of your expensive meal they will end up with a roughly fair tip to the quality of service you got.
This isn’t perfect but tipping isn’t perfect anyway and it’s roughly close enough we don’t have to think too hard about it.
Tipping obscures the true cost of the meal. If we got rid of tipping, you would simply pay 20% more.
Yup. Also, what about when big spenders go and buy a $500 bottle of wine with dinner?
If there meal is only $100 should they tip based on the $600 bill or the $100 meal?
Can’t speak for the rest of the people here, but the reason I can’t stand tipping culture isn’t because of the money. I’m happy to pay a fair amount. It’s the entire social thing where I have to get info on what percentage is considered polite to tip, and then figure out how much that amounts in actual money, and so on. Just give me a bill with an amount I’m actually expected to pay.
It also takes the responsibility of paying correctly off the owner and offloads it onto the consumer.
This isn’t true at all. A server is a sales position. Your job is to sell more drinks, add sides, charge for extra bacon, and know the menu well enough to make recommendations based on your interaction with the customer.
The only way to hold this thought is to be completely ignorant as to what these jobs actually look like for the people doing them, or a mindset that their role is nothing more than servants who fetch food.
When I was younger I went to Red Robin with some friends and just got fries and a drink. It was one of the first times I had to figure out the top. My total was like $4-6. I felt bad if I tipped less than $1, so I tipped $3 and next thing I know my friend is talking about how I just tipped 50% and how that was such a big tip for what I got…
This is why I do an inverse tipping scale. The cheaper the meal, the more I tip. There are exceptions of course, large party, high end service, etc.
If a server is serving a table that has more people and therefore more items, or has to bring more out for multiple courses, that is additional work.
That’s why I go to $ mode and I usually start around 2 for coffee shops, 3 for lunch, 4 for casual dinner, 5-10 for nicer brunches and dinners. Then for each major crappy thing to occur I deduct about a dollar, sometimes I’ll go up for better service.
Fuck percentage tipping, toxic shit
Sometimes I’ll go by percentage and sometimes I’ll consider how long I was at the table, how many people at my table, how busy the restaurant or their section is.
I think of it as a commission based sales job. Like other sales positions, it’s often just as much work to sell something for twice the price.
I don’t like tipping at the counter. There’s no service involved in taking my money and handing me a bag. I’m not in a section, not making a mess, not making any work for anyone past the meal prep.
It puts a pressure on the customer to give a certain amount. Of course I do not look at that most of the time, and tip based on service and how busy that person is while not at my table may factor into that. If I get through the meal and have not had a refill offered or can see that you are watching to see if I am about to take a bite of something before coming to my table to ask me a question (that was weird) I take that into account. If you are not moving and sitting at a drive through window, I am not tipping you..
>because a customer buying a more expensive meal had nothing to do with the server
I started every single restaurant shift with a discussion of what we were trying to upsell that day.