It never fails to shock me how a tip is demanded in the US. People simply refuse to listen to reason when we (yes, there are others!) tell them that leaving a tip isn’t necessary. Well, I’m hoping for too much here, but if you’re a waiter, here are 5 reasons why I will try my best not to give any money to you and why the reasons for tipping are crappy.
1. You act as if you’re my best friend
Just leave me alone ok? I don’t want to bloody chit chat with you. I want food. FOOD! Get it? It’s a restaurant. I go there to eat. I go because I want either Italian food, Chinese Food or something else which I can’t get in a McDonald’s. So I come to a restaurant to fulfill my cravings for it. I will pay for what I value – food. Not you.
Christ, you offend me – kneeling down next to my table, pretending to like me and chatting as if you’re my best friend when it’s obvious that all you’re after is the tip! I’m not a bloody money bag you know. I will pay the bill which includes the cost of the food, the environment and the salaries of the people involved – nothing more.
The only way to get money out of me that I don’t have to legally pay is by prying it out of my cold dead hands…
Bottom line: I don’t want to know your name, or interact with you for any longer than I have to in order to place my order. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the equivalent of a conveyor belt that brings me my food and a computer into which I input my order. Of course, I won’t be rude. But don’t expect me to interact with you any more than I would with some stranger.
Image Credit: cafemama
2. You don’t get paid enough
And this is my problem how exactly? It’s astonishing that customers are expected to make up for your employer’s cheapness in not paying you a decent wage. Please include the full cost in everyone’s bill thank you very much. I’ll pay it because I have to and the charge is there for me to see.
What’s really funny here is that no one seems to criticize the employers! All criticism is reserved for non tipping customers instead of the owners of the restaurant for not paying a decent wage. Wtf! Could it possibly be because you guys know you can make much more by tips and under report your income to the IRS?
3. You’ll spit in my food if I don’t tip you?
And I’ll shoot your kid if you don’t give me a million dollars. Seriously, am I even hearing this right? You’re actually using the threat of blackmail to make me pay you? Well as long as you’re openly claiming to be a criminal it’s all right I guess.
Fortunately that’s why I prefer buffets. Listen apart from it being illegal, this shows your poor integrity. But if you spit in someone’s food because they didn’t give you money you didn’t earn, then you’re a loser and deserve to be a waiter for the rest of your life.
4. Bringing me my food isn’t worthy of being paid extra
Did you cook it? Did you invent it? No. You picked it up and brought it to me. While it might not be easy, there are plenty of jobs which are much worse – shop floor workers for example. And I’ve been a shop floor manager, so I know. Face it – compared to other jobs, being a waiter is unskilled. You get paid what the market will think your services are worth. You don’t deserve more for your work over and above what your employer should pay you.
5. Money doesn’t grow on trees
I expect you to be grateful and pray for me at night if I tip you 10%. Be happy I gave you anything at all. I worked for the money in my wallet and by giving you some I didn’t have to, I’m doing you a favor. Learn to remember that when people give you something they don’t need to, it’s a favor. You don’t complain that they didn’t give you more!
By the way, the same thing above applies to all professions that demand tips including those on cruise liners.
So now that you understand why I won’t give you money you don’t deserve, stop with the “oh how could you?” attitude. I can. And I will.
Update: Here’s a rebuttal of the many silly justifications for tipping that people have given in the comments section.
To all the people complaining: here is a tip
Unionize. Get another job. Demand higher wages.
Why is it that so many restaurants here in San DIego have a no tip policy and work just fine? They instead tack on a mandatory 15% gratuity, which i’m perfectly fine with.
Also if you are speaking about “rewarding” people, why am I not rewarded? Chances are I have dealt with your blood or urine, as I work in the medical field, so why don’t you tip me? Your health is literally in my hands, so why don’t you tip me? Why aren’t others tipped?
Again, please go work in sanitation. They are desperate for entry level employees. $10 an hour starting at the absolute lowest level.
In reply to Common Sense
Please tell me I read that wrong. San Diego has a no tip policy and works just fine, they instead tack on a mandatory 15% gratuity. Do you know what gratuity is? It is the servers tip, so you are fine with being forced to pay their tip, but you aren’t fine with tipping them when it is your choice?
You are a horrible, selfish, ignorant person and you should be ashamed of yourself. I am embarrassed for you. If you are not going to leave a tip then you have no business eating at restaurants, period. If you were a regular customer at any establishment ( which I highly doubt you are able to show your face at any decent establishment more than once aka not McDonald’s) then don’t be surprised if they start adding a tip to your bill automatically or just start to refuse you service. If someone with your disgraceful, rude attitude repeatedly ate at any of the restraunts that I worked at during college than the owner or manager would have marched right up to your table and asked you to take your business elsewhere. Just like at any place of business the employees and owners are not going to put up with someone like you breaking their rules (and yes they are RULES you incompetent cheapskate) and disrespecting the people who work there by not compensating them for doing there job. If you want someone to bring food to your table and refill your drinks you will tip or you will find yourself banned from every restaurant besides your beloved buffets at golden corral and Ryan’s. Enjoy that chocolate fountain of germs and bland, mediocre food! It’s cheap and disgusting just like you! Sincerely, every American that has ever worked at or eaten at a full service restaurant. P.S. This post is going viral on the internet and not in a good way. I hope you enjoy your five minutes of being famous for being one of the biggest Assholes of all time.
In reply to americans with decency and common sense
geez talk about holier than thou. Americans are so many ridiculous things, but you better tip.
Again, why is it that ONLY wait staff can accept tips. WHy can’t a doctor accept a tip? He saves your life. Why can’t EMT’s accept tips? They barely make minimum wage. What about firefighters? Some of them also make minimum wage and have to stay overnight. What about our troops? They come home crippled.
Talk about sanctimonious.
In reply to Common Sense
btw i am an American. Born and raised in this great nation. Don’t say otherwise.
In reply to Common Sense
Hey genius-that’s actually the way the system worked, if you knew anything about your own history. It was long determined that necessary services should not be treated as a system where preferential treatment occurs for payment.
Fuck you. If you can afford a nice dinner, you can afford a few extra bucks to show your appreciation for good service. Please shuffle back to whatever greasy spoon buffet you came from so I don’t have to deal with stupidity such as yours.
If you can’t afford a few extra bucks to pay me to handle your blood or your medical records, then why should I bother to help you if you are at the doctor’s office. Chances are i have dealt with your blood or urine if you ever went to get a blood test. What then?
Why are EMTs who barely make minimum forbidden to recieve a few extra bucks. What about those nice kids at Best buy? One of the kids, who was barely 17, was absolutely wonderful in helping me find a new computer. I wanted to give him a few bucks, but he refused in such a way that if he accepted, he would have been crucified.
WHy only your industry.
Freedom of speech in America is limited to one thing–the gratuity discussion. I swear you people treat this subject like it is a religion or something. Perhaps yall should relax, meditate, chill and discuss this like grown ups.
In reply to Common Sense
Who do you think you’re fooling? EMTs in Philly make at least $40k a year, and anyone with an ounce of math skills will tell you that’s not minimum wage.
“Common Sense”, as Katie mentioned previously, most customers are normal human beings who know how to practice proper restaurant protocol. So, for the most part, the system works well enough as is. You and your blogger buddy are the ones who have a problem with it. If you feel so strongly that the system is screwing you over, *you* change it, instead of sitting there typing snide remarks toward hard-working people–and wasting restaurant table space where appreciative customers could be sitting instead.
Dude, tipping may not be mandatory, but like any other cultural tradition, you observe it and participate. Most servers in the U.S. are legally underpaid with the expectation of making up the difference in tips. Not your problem, sure, but they bust their humps for little pay to provide you with a service. Reward them accordingly (bad service, no tip, good service 10-20%). I’ve left no tip before, after having the worst server imaginable, and I’ve left a 30% tip after having a series of servers provide me the best service imaginable.
But besides all that … you just come off as a total jerk, man. Servers are just a “conveyor belt”? Servers should “pray for you at night” if you tipped them 10%? Not only will you be marked at every restaurant you frequent, keeping in mind a vast majority of servers are women, I can’t imagine you get many second dates with such a nasty, “up yours!” attitude.
Put yourself in the shoes of someone making $3 an hour, working a dozen tables at the same time, got your order right, was very attentive … and they find no tip on the bill. That makes you a jerk, pure and simple.
Hope you find a heart someday.
Whose gonna be the jackass when all those shitty meals you ate lead to cardiac arrest, and that server you didn’t tip graduates college only to become your heart surgeon?
You should start praying every night that they’re more generous than you.
I am a waiter, and I have the following comments about your post:
1.) WE ARE NOT TRYING TO BE YOUR FRIEND. It’s a waiter’s job to be polite, with a pleasing “tableside manner”. I don’t do it “just for the tip”. I want you to have a pleasant dining experience no matter what, if anything, you leave.
2.) My server wage is $3.10 an hour. If my restaurant is forced to pay me (and all the other servers) minimum wage, expect each menu item to go up in price to make up for it. You want to pay and extra $10 for that entree? And extra $5 for that salad, a couple extra dollars for that cocktail? EITHER WAY, YOU”RE GONNA PAY!
3.) I would’t dream of doing anything to someone’s food, but I can’t speak for anyone else.
What I can say is THIS: If I wait of you and you stiff me, I wouldn’t suggest sitting in my section ever again, because you will get the worst service possible — ON PURPOSE. And if you sit somewhere else and I recognize you, I’m going right to the server who is waiting on you and cluing them in, (“See that guy at table 12? Don’t go out of your way for him, he doesn’t tip.”
4.) No, maybe we didn’t cook it, or invent it, but we do make sure the order goes in right, that everything is timed to come out together, we fetch condiments, extras, cocktails, clear plates between courses, among many other duties, for multiple tables and parties all at once.
Unskilled? That really hurts. You think just anybody can be a server? You think YOU could?
You have obviously never WORKED as a server before, so you have no respect for all we do.
5.) A tip is a favor? You expect us to kiss your feet and praise your name for 10% (maybe, if you’re feeling generous that day)?
When I give great service, I expect a gratuity. Yes, EXPECT. When I have done a good job, and there’s no tip, that is an INSULT. You are basically saying, “I don’t care how hard you’re working, you don’t derserve any more that the $3.10 you get an hour.
People like you don’t deserve my good service, and you don’t deserve to eat in a restaurant.
Order it to go, or eat at McDonald’s.
you’re a rich prick, if you complain about cruise anything, i don’t want to hear shit about how money doesn’t grow on trees. go fuck yourself
In reply to go fuck yourself
Wow many of you come off as gen y whiny brats. Not makin a ton of money like a CEO? I really do not care just bring my food. Im only contractually obligated to pay what i agreed to which is clearly on the receipt. EMTS make minimun here in cali btw. Wanna charge extra for an entree? Fine by me. It makes the process easier. In capitalism you pay only what you are required to. Wanna bring up the culture card? Ok American culture dictates when you do not have anything nice to say you dont say anything yet all of you entitled children are swearin a sorm. The fact is in capitalism there are rich people and there are poor people. The Soviets tried to change that but what happened to them in 91?? Hey u wanna add a service charge on the receipt? Fine by me but dont expect me to pay voluntarily if I dont have to. Ill come to your restaraunt once not tip and never return. What about here in cali? Minimum wage for all wait staff. Do i still have to tip? Btw a great business man said this: the most overpaid person in the world is the American minimum wage earner and waiter. im sorry to sound mean but Could not have said it better.
OK Bhagwad…
Simple. You have money. It is yours. You can purchase food, cook it and serve yourself. The structure of the restaurant and its tip system is established. You aren’t above it. You will not break the system by employing your own self-righteous idea of common sense. At the end of the day, you are just a pompous, ungrateful and ignorant man. NO one will spit in your food. I have never witnessed anything like that ridiculous rumor. But, a person will have done their best at their job that day and go home feeling abused and low. Because you wanted to see the cost of their wage wrapped into the bill? So, in your world, a business should just charge you $18 for a $15 entree so that you don’t have to think about the tip? That is lazy, sir. You want to be able to have access to cuisines you cannot cook, ambiance that varies and good service, yes I am sure, you DO want good service so you NEED the people that are willing to work those jobs. Just like you want to be able to purchase gas so you NEED the person to be willing to work at a gas station. You NEED someone willing to be a check-out person at a grocery store (seriously, because you should NEVER eat out again). Everyone’s job is valid and important and all of those people are worth being grateful for. You sir, clearly need to learn about gratitude. If you don’t like the system than just don’t take part in it. No really, go home and cook.
In reply to Amanda
OK Amanda. Simple, you want to save money on medical bills? Don’t go to the doctor. You can just go on WebMD and cook the medicine by yourself. You got a big lump on your side? You can just do it all yourself. No one will be giving you any medical advice. No high medical bills. No appointments. No shots.
People please, you are all sounding like spoiled children. A bunch of gen y kids that don’t appreciate a dollar. Work hard. Get another job if its so bad. Work at wal mart. Work at McDonalds. They make minimum. Work for sanitation–$10 starting depending on where you are. Work for sewage maintenance. Starting pay is also high there.
BTW you all have bills? None of you have a right to owning anything if your wages are so low. This includes a car, a house, anything less than 10 roomates and your meals should consist of nothing but potatoes once a day with milk.
Also if your wages are so low, how do ANY of you have access to the internet? How do any of you have computers?
It goes to show you that my beloved America is full of nothing but a bunch of fiscally irresponsible children.
In reply to Common Sense
Common Sense,
I’ve been sitting at my laptop for the last little while reading through this blog. Ive come to the conclusion that youre just a little troll trying to get people pissed off. Its working. Good for you. The truth is, youre just an ignorant son-of-a-bitch. Youre right though, youre not forced to tip. But I’ll be goddamned if youre gonna treat me like a piece of cutlery or furniture. Im serving tables during the time Im laid off of my mechanical job, so that I dont collect unemployment. I’ll serve people that appreciate my service because Im damn good at it. Im not a conveyor, I am a person and I will be treated accordingly. But you are one of those poor, weak people whose only link to any form of worth is talking a big game on a computer. I challenge you to put your REAL name and address on this post. Grow a set of balls and put a name to your argument. At least the selfish, ignorant bastard that wrote this blog in the first place posted a picture of himself…