Don't you just hate it when

[inej]

Don't you just hate it when waiters automatically think you are going tip them? Spent a fortune in an american chain restaurant , recieved terrible service, boyfriend had to keep moving chair so that pushy american waitress could go past. Ignored us when we wanted to plates for starters and then when we were supposed to pay the bill they had a cheek to ask if we wanted our change back .What a cheek. Go in my local pub for meals they ask if meal ok spend fortune in big rest service **** anybody else had this ?

[dancealot13]

Inej- Im an American, and have done plenty of waitressing (last job was in Times Square). How it works is- we only make from $2.45 and hour to the max $3.50 an hour. Our personal taxes are based on the customers tax from their meal. So if you don't tip us at least whatever the tax is of your meal, then that means we just LOST money serving you.

I love people, but honestly I hated waiting on foreigners most of time because in Europe you don't have to tip, and in some countries it's considered rude, but in America that's how we make our living. You should ALWAYS double the tax when you tip. That alone in NY state is 16%, and that's a cheap cheap tip. If you have average to very good service 20% is called for.

The reason the waitress asked if you wanted the change back is because she probably was workin' her little butt off and thought she wasn't going to make any money off your table because you were unaware of how we tip in the states. I do not mean this to come across rude, but it is very frustrating when you're on your feet for 11 hours going back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen to the bar.....and then not get tipped. At my restaurant we even had a little insert that informed the customers (in several languages) of our tipping customs, and people still would only leave $3 dollars on a $60 dollar bill! Im sorry but that is simply rude. You go out to dinner to be served, therefore you should PAY that person to serve you--Otherwise go to McDonalds.

I rarely acted the way im sure your waitress was behaiving, but I can understand were she's coming from.

[inej]

Hi dancealot 13 i understand what your'e saying but we haven't got a problem with giving tips . I think we were more annoyed with the waitress'es attitude and the altogether service in there. I think it's annoying because we spent quite a bit of money in there to be treated like that.

[dancealot13]

The good thing about exspensive restaurants is if your service was really terrible and you say something to a manager,...you'll get your meal comped, and the server will get in trouble usually ;) But hopefully that won't happen on your next trip.

Just wondering what restaurant was it?

[inej]

Am i allowed to say on here will jumble up names cafe rock hard , we decided to try , but was not impressed at all.

[dancealot13]

Hey Inej- Yeah, I could have guessed that. Their prices are nuts! Plus the staff doesn't make that much money because generally it's a touristy place, so they're grumpy. I think the places where you get the best service, and food, at least from my experience, are always the mom & pops restaurants that have regulars. Especially in NYC, I don't like the commercial restaurants, or Times Square so much. You gotta find the places where people who actually live there go, ya know? -Then you'll find the Best places to eat! xx cheers

[dancealot13]

Sorry,- I wasn't implying you were in NYC, I was just using it as an example ;o)

[inej]

Hi dancealot 13 no that's fine we were in London, for what i had to be honest i could of gone to my little ronald macdonalds for what i have. It was just quality of service (manners basically)

Don't think i am anti american if fact i can't wait to visit New York especially rockafeller center lol

[Polotoo]

Hi Inwj,

Have to completely agree with you there!!

We recently went to canada and after a meal - with pretty poor service I have to say (dirty glasses and sent some food back-and we aren't fussy!), the waiter brought us the bill without us asking for it. As they were open until the early hours we were planning to have a few bevvies! Plus we had a discount that the hotel had given us, so we sent the bill back and asked it to be adjusted.

When he brought it out again, he plonked it on the table and said 'service isn't included' and marched off. Now I don't know about you, but I never tip by adding it to my credit card slip, so I crossed it off the slip and paid by card. I then asked for some more drinks, planning to pay cash and leave a tip then. Then he brought back my credit card slip and said 'I think you made a mistake service is not included' I said thats fine, I'm leaving cash for your tip.

Couldn't believe it!! I know they are low paid, but I'm not on a great salary - and I don't get tips! If I'm lucky I'll get an xmas bonus but thats about all. We always tip, even over here and usually too much - in comparison on the same trip we ate at greasy kebab type shop and the chap in there was most shocked to get a tip!!

[Will88]

I completely disagree with tipping and find it simply offendsive for an American restaurant to include a service cherge in the bill calculating it as an after tax charge. I never leave a tip in any establishment if a service cherge is added. Call me mean but its the waiters problem they are underpaid, not mine.

[paddy_36]

Had a really unpleasant sitaution in Canada when we didn't realise in a bar that you should tip after every round - we're just not used to that here in the UK. We were going to leave a big tip at the end, but the whole thing backfired when the barman stopped serving us. Purely a misunderstanding. Dancealot - yeah, people go to a restaurant to be served, and I know where you're coming from, but you should be paid properly by your employer to do a job. It shouldn't be up to the customers to pay you, and anything they do give you should be a bonus for a job well done. $2.45-$3.50 an hour is a disgrace.

[undercovers]

as inej was in the UK then yes that is really annoying - here a tip is given if extra care and attention has been made and you want to express gratitude for that and should never be expected (clearly different if your in USA), but maybe the american waitress didn't know our customs yet - and we are all becoming a little bit more Americanised so maybe she just steals everyone�s change in there and no one ever says anything.
I really hated it in the states with the whole you have to tip everywhere � tip at the BAR � I got told off for going to the bar to get my own drinks because I was robbing a tip from the waitresses that would walk those 2 metres for me� very silly.
The whole bribe for a decent service thing is a bit more honest in India when I was there � soon got used to tipping before anything had happened e.g. the minute you set foot in anywhere give owner / waiter small amount of cash and then ask for everything you want always resulted in much better standard of care (which having said that was always quite good anyway) � which makes more sense if you are in the bribe business than waiting till the end.

[WoWo]

Certainly never leave a tip is service is added to your bill. If you have bad service then in the UK it's fine in my opinion not to leave a tip, the old "we don't get paid much" argument doesn't wash with me, do you tip the person at the till in Tesco's who gets minimum wage? If you don't like getting under paid then get another job (not aimed at anybody just a general you).

If I have had good service I do tip well, but if it was bad then they don't get anything from me.

Best thing to do with bad service is leave a couple of coppers.

[ICEMANSAV]

Depends what constitutes bad service. If the waiter/ess is being obnoxious then I would agree that a tip should not be given. However if it is because you had to wait an extra minute longer for some food, or if your knife was dirty then its not really their fault. At the end of the day why begrudge someone who is ill paid a tip just to make a point?

[dancealot13]

WILL88 and WoWo- It's people EXACTLY like YOU that cause servers to be short with their customers. If you don't agree with our tipping customs then don't come to our country.

That is an ignorant and inconsiderate remark "I never leave a tip if a service charge is added"--It's added because that is how the government bases our taxes. "Call me mean, but it's the waiters problem they are underpaid not mine." --Well that's why you get bad service. When you go to a restaurant to get SERVED you have to pay extra for that SERVICE. If you are cheap then don't go to a restaurant that has people waiting on you. It's truly not a difficult consept.

[Gef]

Sorry dance but could you clarify something for me as I live in the UK. You said that your personal taxes are based on the customers tax from the meal. What do you mean by this?

[dancealot13]

Gef- Hi. Well, Im not an accountant, but I'll try to explain it. Minimum wage in New York State is $6.00 an hour. Because servers make tips, servers hourly income is only $2.45 - $3.50 an hour (this is what the restaurant pays up), everything else we get from tips. So at the end of the night you have to claim that money. Well people can lie and say they made less tips then they really did so they don't have to pay as much tax. So the way the government watches over servers is by the tax on their customers bill.

I worked in Times Square for a while and ended up quiting because it was so touristy. Foreigners simply did not know how to tip. The bills often came to a least $50. I would wait on several tables so I should have made AT LEAST $100 a night (and that should be a slow night). But I would only come home with $60-$70 dollars a night. If a tables tax is $10 and they don't leave me at least the tax amount, then at the end of the year Im paying tax on an income that I didn't bring home.

Therefore, when you don't leave a tip in America then the server actually lost money out of their own pocket.

Hope that explained it. Sorry if Im confusing ;) cheers

[Will88]

And thats why amoung many other reasons i don't visit America anymore. I find the vast amount of Americans to be arrogant and naive. I once got asked ''you speak good english, where did you learn it''. I would much rather visit Canada anyday.

[FelixtheDog]

sorry dancealot, but I (partly) agree with Will88s first answer. Tipping is not a stupid concept if the service is exceptional, but having such a poor minimum wage and having poor staff actually rely on tipping is totally dumb. Why not just pay them properly in the first place? Then for those staff who go over and above just doing the job for which they are being paid, any tip is a nice bonus that actualy encourages them to keep doing an exceptional job. Isnt this what tipping was originally meant for? America sure has some backward ideas!

[dancealot13]

I agree that tipping is not a way to gaurentee an income, but that is just how it works in America. And I must admit I like the idea of having to work harder to make more money (meaning serving my customers to the best of my ability). But for people to go to American restaurants fully knowing they don't agree with tipping and then leaving the waiter with nothing is ultimately rude and inconsiderate. If you don't want to tip, then don't go out to restaurants. If you are against America's way then don't visit. Will88- We have enoughf self-centered, ignorant, rude people in America....we don't need more of you around waisting out space So please do go visit Canada instead.

Oh but ya know,...they have the same tipping standards as America...so I guess your "siht" out a luck.

[sense4all]

We went to a steak house cannot name and shame for fear of law suit....... but if you ever saw Manhattan on the Beach the actor guy .... up his own jacksie ..... his brother /son/alter ego ... was the server. He made Jack from Will and Grace look like employee of the Century had the bare faced cheek to ask for a tip having socialised with his friends all night. Well I gave him a tip alright!!!!!! much to the amusement of other pI55ed of patrons. This was the only place where we did not willingly double tax!